Remembering the days, when I first heard about the term “information architecture”. At first, I thought this is one big technical mainframe term, which involves some rocket science technology. It was only because of my enthusiasm in knowing the in-depth versions, when I got to know about it exactly.
Spatial design, and how people translate and cohesively manage to put forward their thoughts and thinking in physical admiration. A brief look into the world of information architecture will help you more while discovering the various animosities attached with it.
Combining the Mental and Physical aspects of Life
What a better word, than information architecture to describe the entity that combines your thoughts to your actions. There is a fine line between thinking and doing. Information architecture will structure your thought process, and connect it to your actions. Personally, I thought more about the potential aspect of these arenas.
Now, it is the perfect time to introduce the UX. This is everything you think about the interaction, and your experience with the real world. Douglas Englebart, the person who gave his ailing thoughts, while working in 60’s. Augment human intellect is what described his though, and his theory about hardware and software interaction. People like Donald Norman has named the same thing as “cognitive engineering”, and William Gibson “cyberspace” induced information system into hardcore physical interactions. All the above, were a close perspective into the world of UX.
Finding the Central Mid-Way of Physical and Mental Interaction
People, who are good in presenting their thoughts to the world, are great in their communication skills. Along with that, there are people, who can inspire people with their designs, and physical interaction rather than their thought process. The clinch is to find a mid-way, where both these consortiums match up, to present a cohesive group of people, who are great in both, communicating and designing.
UX field keeps evolving, and with every passing cycle by we develop as well. This change is inevitable with depth, and specialization towards a constitutive business standpoint. Focus is the key to success, and hence narrowing your skills towards a single direction is far better than having a hold in every other direction. This means that you need to be the master of one field, and do not get involved as the jack-of-all-trades.
However, UX is uncertain as well. Rising as a cult in the design world, it has always seen ups and downs, with lethal proportions. In fact, every day you can see various people interacting to prove their thought process, better in terms of human usage.
This is not a forceful consortium, and since there is a plethora of designers and designs in this world, UX is just double the rate of the same factual point. People sue to this, tend to believe and treat information architecture as their foe. This is sincerely illogical according to my views. This is mainly done by people from interaction design community who think that their designs are the best in the world. Content strategy is also a domicile for them.
On the other hand, there are people, who straight away deject UX, and anything related to it altogether. According to them, this is just a factual reasoning, which does not hold importance in the real world. This is where we need to understand the real enemy. This is a fight that is internal, and we must stop it accordingly. UX is not the enemy of your choice. Fact is that, they circumnavigate inside your mental boundaries only, and gain a step forward in real world interaction. This is the realism of real world.
Choosing a Side is Not a Choice
This is not a fight, but a sheer understanding that you need to have within you and your community. Embracing the idea of UX, being your real friend rather than your actual enemy is what you need to understand. Let’s face it that you want your own involvement at some point of time. This is not your selfishness, but the attitude of UX as a multi disciplinary entity. Individuals need to accept it first, and then apply this in their community. When you see a person talking about content strategy, and then working for clients, using interaction design work, then you tend to feel the difference.
Diluting your thoughts about that person’s authenticity is not the right thing, but getting that the same person can be working in both directions is the right thought. Communication with interaction and designing your thoughts is what information architecture taught me. My individual UX navigates around this.
Designers should feel that what I am saying here will just confuse them more, but according to me you should evolve as a multi directional calibrated individual. Now I am not saying you to be the jack-of-all-trades by getting yourself involved in fields, other than designing. What I am trying to convey is that, you can get yourself involved in the commutation world along with designing strategy.
Content management is good, but at the same time designing strategy is not bad. Just imagine your career boosting up with you being an interaction designer at one hand, and at the same time being a content strategist. Information architect is an overall way to get the perfect solution.
UX i.e. User Experience is a field, that can tremendously grow your reach in an overall direction. You can master a single skill at its level’s best, or you can choose to be the best in all. You don’t need to be a star in every field you touch, but you can combine your working skills according to UX. People are needed in the market that has a touch in both verbal and physical fields. Communication is a great skill that is in demand forever.
You can work on improving it all your life, and gain a positive aspect with it. UX should unite these practices in your life, and not make a division with your thought process. In the end, UX is the key towards success, only when it is supported with an overall development process.
