This work by Matt LeVeque is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Sep
14
Systems Thinking | Linking IA & UX with SEM & SEO
September 14, 2008 |
THERE HAS BEEN some interesting chatter going on over the past couple days on the Information Architecture Institute (IAI) email distribution list regarding the narrow scope of defining Information Architecture (IA).
Christina Wodtke from Elegant Hack actually posed the question of this narrow definition of IA from the IAI which states “We define information architecture as the art and science of organizing and labeling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability.” She goes on to say that there are actually more definitions of IA which include:
1. The structural design of shared information environments
2. The combination of organization, labeling, search and navigation systems within websites and intranets
3. The art and science of shaping information products and experiences to support usability and findability
4. An emerging discipline and community of practice focused on bringing principals of design and architecture to the digital landscape.
Now I have very limited IA or UX experience but what those disciplines provide does have implications on Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). As a member of IAI it’s been interesting to read and gain insight into the knowledge and issues professionals in this space face and how they sometimes apply to SEM & SEO.
In this particular instance, where it’s possible to extend the scope of the IA definition to include other disciplines, taking a Systems Thinking approach at how IA, UX and even SEM & SEO all relate to one another and fit together as a whole can be extremely valuable. A definition of IA may include sub-definitions for each of these related components since, from my perspective, IA is the foundation for everything else.
I wrote An Introduction to Systems Thinking for Online Marketing which takes a more granular look at how Systems Thinking applies to Paid Search. This concept can also be applied at a higher level as suggested above.
I also wrote about a concept called Design for Search Engine Marketing (DFSEM) which relates more to IA & UX which also applies to Systems Thinking idea. Many times I work with retail websites that are built for inventory management but are terrible to work with from an SEO or SEM perspective.
The point here is that each player in the mix is ultimately trying to accomplish the same goal - Customer Satisfaction. In linking IA & UX with SEM & SEO everyone benefits.
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