Radio Johnny: Paul Kahn Keynote for 2010 EuroIA Summit

Today on Radio Johnny, Jeff Parks talks with Paul Kahn, 2010 Keynote for the EuroIA Summit taking place September 24th and 25th in Paris, France at Les Salons de l’Aveyron. Paul shares his experiences working in the field of Information Architecture over the years, how users access and understand information, as well as the many challenges and opportunities for the future of the discipline.

Quotes

The concept of Information Architecture…came out of the fact that…when we would work with clients who asked us to design banners for their websites…we often found that we would draw these overview diagrams and try and explain to them how things are organized. It wasn’t really what was on the banner it was the path that people would have to follow through the hypertext network.

We have a mixed generation, it’s not just people who are in their 20s or 30s or people in their 50s or 60s, we have sort of a mixed set of generation who have simply become convinced that they can find what they want on the Internet…and that’s a great opportunity.

I think one of the real areas for creativity in the field is being able to recognize what part of the structure can be exploited to make the information more useful.

Summary

Paul talks about his experiences in working on the web from its inception, as well as current opportunities for those in the field of Information Architecture to provide greater context for the conversations happening online and around the world.

Paul also shares the five ways to organize information for understanding and ease of use through the acronym, L.A.T.C.H.: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy.

This understanding is critical in being able to address the paradox of doing business and communicating online today – almost no one wants to create structured data even though, for most, meaning is only provided through said structure.

Show Notes

Kahn and Associates
Speakers at 2010 EuroIA Summit
Paul’s contribution to new magazine with references to his other publications.
Interview and podcast PAUL KAHN : Designer d’architecture de l’information