The "How" of Enterprise Information Architecture
Summary
Enterprise IA problems are rarely caused by tricky information architecture. Instead, people and organizational problems manifest in bad IA. Sarah will share tools you can combine in different ways to help move your individual IA strategy forward.
Key Insights
-
•
Information architecture involves three core models: navigation, content (object), and information (taxonomies/metadata).
-
•
Most IA professionals rarely create traditional site maps; they focus on structural models instead.
-
•
The biggest challenge for IA in enterprises is not designing better systems, but getting organizational buy-in and ownership to implement changes.
-
•
A concrete, well-defined goal with clear final steps and resource needs is vital to making things happen in large organizations.
-
•
The political stream (internal worries and priorities) must align with problem and solution streams for successful change initiatives.
-
•
Enterprise change often requires working through product managers or backlog owners rather than relying on top executives like the CEO.
-
•
Small, visible wins (like installing a consistent header) can unlock momentum for bigger, more complex IA improvements.
-
•
IA experts need to understand organizational mechanisms and politics without losing their critical perspective or desire to improve things.
-
•
Building early credibility by being helpful on small tasks helps foster trust and support from other teams like developers.
-
•
UX and IA practitioners need to engage deeply with business realities and technical systems to have meaningful conversations and collaborate effectively.
Notable Quotes
"My job wasn’t to do good IA, it was figuring out how to be allowed to do good IA."
"The intellectually honest answer to most questions about information architecture is, I’m not sure, or it depends."
"Getting from terrible to not terrible is often more challenging than going from good to delightful."
"You can’t make anyone else care. We’re asking the wrong question."
"Windows of opportunity happen when problem, solution, and political streams align."
"Nobody cares about IA. If they did, they’d be IAs or at this conference."
"No amount of power is enough to make a wide-ranging agenda move forward on its own."
"If I do my job right, you never decide what goes in a dropdown again."
"This header took six minutes of IA work—but two years to make happen."
"Enterprise scale is what makes this hard, but also what makes it really satisfying."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"People and process design are real, real things we have to consider, not just the technology piece."
Alexandra SchmidtEnterprise UX Playbook
December 1, 2022
"Half-day Fridays is a way for us to give back to ourselves and promote work-life balance."
Jen Crim Jess Quittner Saritha Kattekola Alex Karr Gurbani PahwaCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 11, 2021
"If you want to improve the product team’s understanding, frame UX value in terms of their language and goals, not just UX jargon."
Christian CrumlishAMA with Christian Crumlish, author of Product Management for UX People
March 24, 2022
"Having an employee resource group member on interview panels creates a safe space for candidates to disclose more about themselves."
Libby MaurerTreating Diversity & Inclusion in Hiring as a Design Problem
December 5, 2019
"Green spaces are not luxuries—they're necessities for urban life."
Ali Jeffery Sheri ChudowHow DesignOps Helped Enable Wall Street to Work Remotely
October 22, 2020
"You can’t know a human honestly from the outside alone; you have to let their reality work on you."
Daniel GloydDesigning From the Inside Out: How Method Acting Can Inspire Design Research
February 12, 2026
"Every student has unique strengths that should be recognized and nurtured."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"If you frame it as poor first experience risks a negative impact on adoption, you get way more eyeballs and attention."
Johanna KollmannInsights-Driven Product Strategy: Get your Research to Count
December 6, 2022
"Friction isn’t just annoying; it’s a force that reshapes behavior and can slow or stop user flow."
David SternbergUncovering the hidden forces shaping user behavior
July 17, 2025
