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Synopsis of Skills

Information Architect

Synopsis of Skills

Information Architecture, Usability, Web, Experience Design

IA Skills

My professional qualifications and skills are unique, with regard to my skills and expertise in Information Architecture, project management, including user experience design, and usability testing.

Brief sections below detail information about value (of hiring an IA), professional development, IA specialization, formative years, structure adds usability, other interests, method, leadership skills, systematic approach, and IA expert.

Value

Design research and brainstorming events, adding value to your organization. Designing products with built-in affordances and a variety of deliverables, mapping and diagramming, including doing usability testing.

Statistically speaking, following Information Architecture procedures as well as doing usability testing, user-centered design improves performance for digital design products or Websites. This practice increases profit margins. If end users cannot use a product, they will not use it.

Professional Development

I attend BayCHI meetings in Palo Alto.

About BayCHI

About BayCHI, it is the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI) in Palo Alto. The special-interest group brings together scholars, practitioners, and users to exchange ideas about computer-human interaction—about the design and evaluation of human interfaces.

At BayCHI meetings, other topics and discussions relevant to the industry include: Information Architecture, information design, product design, exhibit design, interaction design, rapid prototyping, computer/Web programming, usability testing.

After BayCHI meetings, we go out for coffee at an Italian café in Palo Alto on University Avenue. They serve excellent, imported Italian coffee and sweet desserts—very delicious (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Information Architect Specialization

My experience, degrees, and credentials are specialized in Information Architecture and Design—very unique, extensive qualifications, as well as specialized education (IA BAIA; IA MAIA & IA ID&T; IA TPW & IA MAEd); other degrees omitted. For current updates, refer to downloads.

Formative Years

During my formative years (lower division education to high school), I took architecture and design-art-related courses. I also studied professional classical piano performance courses with well-known concert pianists; music. At an early age, I learned about building structures and developed in-depth, solid critical-creative thinking skills, which was a strong indicator about my future.

The truth is that I love being an Information Architect, and I love doing my job. The specialized education I received at The University was excellent, including being on the cutting edge of design research—current trends in IA. I also love music, too, because performing is very exciting. Creating and building are both activities I enjoy and love doing.

Structure Adds Usability

Developing digital structures and wayfinding, building and implementing, organizing information and conceptual brainstorming events—doing design research—this helps to make online products easier to use. Other skills include doing card sorting, usability testing, heuristic evaluations, mapping and diagramming, user scenarios and personas, wire frame mockups, rapid prototyping; always taking a systematic—flexible—approach on projects.

Refer to Résumé for details about education and experience, including relevant downloads.

Other Interests

Other interests include doing classical piano performance, cooking, film, writing, and storytelling. I enjoy creative, artist activities because it brings me inspiration. I think it is very important to do things in life that bring meaning and enhance life and consciousness. Exploring is also a great way to learn by doing.

Method

My professional approach on doing projects is to take a flexible—systematic—method to produce and implement high-quality Websites or other digital design products.

This includes doing research, mapping and diagramming, prototyping, usability testing, to final implementation; other skills include successful project management strategies and excellent team leadership on projects.

It is always about making information technology easier to use for users. I really enjoy working with people on projects—accomplishing professional results that work right for end users. If you desire to learn more about The IA Model, refer to Synopsis The IA Model (Figure 2).

Leadership Skills

Experience in leading Information Architecture as well as user experience research and development—high-priority projects—many stakeholders.

Strong understanding of design principles and trends with regard to Information Architecture, communications techniques, usability and Web technologies relevant to industry.

Proven ability doing research, translating and refining business needs specific to projects, utilizing “best practices.”

Doing heuristic evaluations, usability testing, cognitive walkthroughs and making improvements on Websites.

Conducting user research, extracting requirements, designing interactive framework and concepts; presenting ideas for development—excellent project management and leadership skills.

Translating user needs into viable online experiences; keeping designs simple, intuitive, and easy to use online; understanding user has unique requirements; empathy for user and implementing user-centered designs.

Experience extends far and deep into Information Architecture, navigational systems and design, including user experience design, experience architecture, and usability testing.

Taking a professional—flexible—systematic approach on projects improves quality on finished products. If you desire to learn more about my IA expertise, refer to IA Expert.

Systematic Approach

The significance and great importance of Information Architecture is that it provides needed structure for digital design products and Websites, making information technology usable.

Without structure it might be difficult to wayfind and sense-make on Websites or using other interactive products.

By providing Websites, or other digital design products, with structure, information is put in order and structured—no longer chaotic.

This speaks to about how end users wayfind, sense-make, or navigate, using digital design products. The importance of designing with user-centered design principles in mind—prior to implementation (Figure 2).

Figure 2

IA Expert

Information Architecture,

User experience design,

Interaction design,

Navigational systems,

Design research,

Website audits,

Needs assessment,

Competitive analysis,

Design with user-centered principles in mind,

Understand business requirements,

Concept generation,

User scenarios,

Take into consideration what users need,

Mapping and diagramming,

Prototyping,

Usability testing,

Card sorting,

Heuristic evaluations,

Cognitive walkthroughs,

Web 2.0 and social networking,

Project management, and

Team leadership.