A History of Digital Information Architecture
In 1964, IBM engineer Gene Amdahl and a team of authors published a fourteen page paper called “Architecture of the IBM System/360”, an extremely fascinating read. Computers were, at this point, a rudimentary conglomeration of operating systems and memory; their purpose not particularly well-defined and their full capabilities not yet imagined.
In this article, IBM authors defined many of the design goals of a computer, as an input-output device, a general purpose utility, the potential availability of small, high-speed storage, all with the ability to run many different programs at the same time. They addressed compatibility amongst different computer models, a standard and transparent interface between devices, and building structures so that future applications could be added easily.
These ideas were essentially guidelines for structural concepts that provide clarity and affordance in technology. These were the beginnings of information architecture.
In 1973, Xerox made a new development in information architecture with the invention of a personal computer called the Xerox Alto (costing upwards of $10,000 each to build). Throughout this time period, various groups were developing expensive and hard-to-use personal computers. What set the Xerox Alto apart was that it focused on human computer interaction, employing the first Graphic User Interface, a mouse, a chord keyset (which never became popular), a laser printer, and the first What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get word processor. This was a big step in information architecture; designing hardware and software information together around user needs. And, this was the catalyst for the computers we enjoy today. Steve Jobs is said to have drawn inspiration from this for the Apple Lisa and Macintosh personal computer.
In 1976 at the American Institute of Architecture conference, Richard Saul Wurman used the words information and architect together for the first time, emphasizing the role and power of understanding in creating something useful.
Later in his book Information Architects, he defined the role as:
- the individual who organizes the patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear.
- a person who creates the structure or map of information, which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge.
- the emerging 21st century professional occupation addressing the needs of the age focused upon clarity, human understanding, and the science of the organization of information.
The 1980’s produced many information architecture deliverables, such as blueprint requirements, information categories, business process guidelines, and global corporate needs.
These many thought leaders and products laid the groundwork for the book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld, first published in 1998.
Rosenfeld and Melville were originally librarians, transferring their skillset to the needs of the internet in the new digital era. Their book, an instant best-seller, created frameworks for designing and organizing large amounts of information, interactions, and features within websites. In 1998, before the web had any conventions or standards, Rosenfeld and Melville outlined principles that would help users move around websites; principles like searching systems, labelling systems, and navigation systems.
The smartphone has added a new dimension to information architecture; technology is now part of everything we do. Principles in the fourth edition of Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond, published in 2015, address the new ways that information architecture has matured online as well as within other various devices and mediums. The polar bear has indeed helped to refine the goals and best practices of information architects up through 2017.
The establishment and staggering progress of information technology in the past five decades is both a blessing and a curse. So much is at our fingertips now— infinite information, features, and potential solutions, but more often clutter, distraction, confusion, and a lack of understanding.
Today information architects streamline this vast world of information, pulling apart and organizing immense and complex challenges. As we strive to create a clear and user-friendly world, we are lucky to have a multitude of problem-solvers and successes to learn from and follow after.
