reviews/ia_for_www.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<page title="Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" keywords="">
<item>
<p>Authors: Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville</p>
<p>ISBN: <isbn>1-565920282-4</isbn></p>
<p>Publisher: </p>
<p>Reviewed by: Simon Wistow</p>
</item><item>
<p>
Information Architects are like the Piltdown Man. In the evolutionary
tree that contains designers, usability experts and programmers IAs are
the missing link between us and our artistic brethren. Concerned with
organising data into efficent structures there's a lot programmers can
learn from them and since they're often the point of contact when
working on large scale websites (if the company you're working with has
deigned to hire one) knowledge of the field is as valuable as a web
designer knowing about HTML and the workings of HTTP.
</p><p>
The Polar Bear book, first released in 1998 was written by Louis
Rosenfeld and Peter Morville, luminaries in the IA world. As the
founders of Argus Associates, a visionary information architecture
consultancy, between the two of them they've worked on huge and high
profile web sites. This book aims to distil some of that knowledge into
one handy dandy 200 page volume.
</p><p>
The book is seperated into 10 chapters. Starting off with a quick guide
as to why some web sites work and some don't the book then goes on to
define the role and scope of an Information Architects (although, from
hanging around on IA mailing lists the exact details of this is one of
the great flame wars of the IA world) before diving into the basics of
organizing information - the challenges and how web sites and intranets
can be coerced into cohesive organisational systems.
</p><p>
From there we plough through the specifics - designing navigational,
labelling and search systems - all good stuff which may seem like common
sense but, then, doesn't all good advice?
</p><p>
Finally the book rounds off with chapters on researc, conceptual design,
how an information architect actually operates 'in the wild' and a case
study which does a good job of tying everything together.
</p><p>
Having not read much IA literature and having very little IA
experience (for values of 'very little' rapidly approaching none)
it's difficult to say whether this a good text from an IA's point of
view so I won't. From what I've heard it is very well regarded which is
a comfort but this is a group (and their web site) which is, largely,
for programmers so it's better for me to do this with my coder's hat on.
</p><p>
The book is obviously written by people who know, and love, what they're
talking about. However the structure, fine from the birdseye view of the
contents page, sometimes feels a little dijointed in places - not helped
by the fact that the tone can swing from being formal to being jocular
in the space of a few sentences.
</p><p>
It also suffers from having been written 4 years ago - some of the sites
showed in the book are enough to make you wince and it doesn't really
tackle more modern issues such as DHTML, CSS, coding for multiple
browsers and why people who have Flash splash pages with no skip button
should be taken out back and molested by hairy backed baboons.
</p><p>
However, in a special bank holiday gift from our friends in the
'fantastic timing' department, the next edition is due to be published
in the next couple of days and it would be fascinating to see how the
authors have bought the book up to date (or are they waiting till
version three until they iron out all the bugs).
</p><p>
The book is undoubtedly filled with useful information that any
programmer would do well to read but there are some problems with it. I
was midnful as I was writing this that I had just finished a fantastic
book on usability (a closely if not wholey related discipline)
before I read 'IA and the WWW' which might have made me look more
harshly on it but, even still, I look forward to reading the next
edition whenever I get my grubby mitts on it.
</p>
</item>
</page>
reviews/ia_for_www.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<page title="Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" keywords="">
<item>
<p>Authors: Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morville</p>
<p>ISBN: <isbn>1-565920282-4</isbn></p>
<p>Publisher: </p>
<p>Reviewed by: Simon Wistow</p>
</item><item>
<p>
Information Architects are like the Piltdown Man. In the evolutionary
tree that contains designers, usability experts and programmers IAs are
the missing link between us and our artistic brethren. Concerned with
organising data into efficent structures there's a lot programmers can
learn from them and since they're often the point of contact when
working on large scale websites (if the company you're working with has
deigned to hire one) knowledge of the field is as valuable as a web
designer knowing about HTML and the workings of HTTP.
</p><p>
The Polar Bear book, first released in 1998 was written by Louis
Rosenfeld and Peter Morville, luminaries in the IA world. As the
founders of Argus Associates, a visionary information architecture
consultancy, between the two of them they've worked on huge and high
profile web sites. This book aims to distil some of that knowledge into
one handy dandy 200 page volume.
</p><p>
The book is seperated into 10 chapters. Starting off with a quick guide
as to why some web sites work and some don't the book then goes on to
define the role and scope of an Information Architects (although, from
hanging around on IA mailing lists the exact details of this is one of
the great flame wars of the IA world) before diving into the basics of
organizing information - the challenges and how web sites and intranets
can be coerced into cohesive organisational systems.
</p><p>
From there we plough through the specifics - designing navigational,
labelling and search systems - all good stuff which may seem like common
sense but, then, doesn't all good advice?
</p><p>
Finally the book rounds off with chapters on researc, conceptual design,
how an information architect actually operates 'in the wild' and a case
study which does a good job of tying everything together.
</p><p>
Having not read much IA literature and having very little IA
experience (for values of 'very little' rapidly approaching none)
it's difficult to say whether this a good text from an IA's point of
view so I won't. From what I've heard it is very well regarded which is
a comfort but this is a group (and their web site) which is, largely,
for programmers so it's better for me to do this with my coder's hat on.
</p><p>
The book is obviously written by people who know, and love, what they're
talking about. However the structure, fine from the birdseye view of the
contents page, sometimes feels a little dijointed in places - not helped
by the fact that the tone can swing from being formal to being jocular
in the space of a few sentences.
</p><p>
It also suffers from having been written 4 years ago - some of the sites
showed in the book are enough to make you wince and it doesn't really
tackle more modern issues such as DHTML, CSS, coding for multiple
browsers and why people who have Flash splash pages with no skip button
should be taken out back and molested by hairy backed baboons.
</p><p>
However, in a special bank holiday gift from our friends in the
'fantastic timing' department, the next edition is due to be published
in the next couple of days and it would be fascinating to see how the
authors have bought the book up to date (or are they waiting till
version three until they iron out all the bugs).
</p><p>
The book is undoubtedly filled with useful information that any
programmer would do well to read but there are some problems with it. I
was midnful as I was writing this that I had just finished a fantastic
book on usability (a closely if not wholey related discipline)
before I read 'IA and the WWW' which might have made me look more
harshly on it but, even still, I look forward to reading the next
edition whenever I get my grubby mitts on it.
</p>
</item>
</page>