resource center: books
Edited by Dave Rogers
Information Architecture
Ah, information architecture—the sweet science of organizing information so users can find it! Based in library science yet embracing so many other disciplines, we're still trying to sort out IA's exact place at the Web design table. These books will help.
Richard Saul Wurman. Something of a godfather to those in the information disciplines, Wurman recently updated his original classic. For a world inundated with data and facts that are little more than "non-information," Wurman offers ways to offer the tools and patterns that aid human understanding. And he's the guy who coined the term "information architecture."
Christina Wodtke. This is the best introduction to IA in print. It's a marvelously clear and enjoyable presentation of the basic concepts and techniques of IA, full of terrific hints and ideas. And it's fun to read. Christina Wodtke is one of the most important voices of IA and is the founder of the invaluable boxesandarrows.com. Buy this book.
Eric L. Reiss. Here's a book that delivers what it promises. Published in 2000, it was one of the first general introductions to IA and remains a valuable resource although its brevity means it skimps on some important topics.
John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid. In this well-written and thoughtful book, Brown and Duguid draw us away from the "tunnel vision" promoted by infocentricity, an outlook that fails to see the social context of information. By commodifying information, they say, we are in danger of "tunnel design," creating technologies that not only fail to serve us effectively but also "bite back," creating as many problems as they solve. Great stuff.
NEXT: Usability