It's not uncommon for a sick body to reject a working organ, even though that organ will make the body healthy again. There's a parallel in the world of IA, where companies reject or mangle well-crafted solutions, typically for two reasons: 1) The company is simply not prepared to receive it; and 2) the solution didn't take the company's organizational idiosyncracies into account.

In order to ensure that their solutions are not only relevant, but workable, it's critical that IAs be involved in deeply understanding organizations and their customers. In this one-day seminar, Adaptive Path partners Jesse James Garrett and Peter Merholz present a detailed methodology for developing such insight. The material will cover:
- Internal Discovery
- Stakeholder Interviews
- Secondary research
- Current state analysis
- User research/task analysis
- Feature/content prioritization

Along with learning specific step-by-step approaches, attendees will also receive a number of documentation templates to enable them to immediately put into practice what they've learned.

The Usability Testing for Information Architects workshop is created by information architects for information architects. It provides first-hand training for IAs interested in conducting their own usability testing.

By title, you're an information architect. By role, you're
practically running the show. Sound familiar? Whether we like it or not, sometimes project schedules, budgets or organizational
challenges demand a bit more from "information architects" than just "information architecture." And from time to time, than means we've got to manage the projects, run the user research or set up the
usability testing. This workshop is for those IAs who want or need to conduct their own usability testing -- or for those who just want to get involved in their own company's testing.

We'll explain what you can expect from user testing; how to decide when and what to test; how to conduct a participatory cardsort; and how to test with prototypes. We'll also show you how to organize and moderate your own tests; discuss how you can turn testing data into design; and teach you how to combine research data and testing data for a clear picture of your customers.

You'll walk away from this practical, hands-on workshop knowing how to:

* Create a screener;
* Work with a recruiter;
* Create testing protocols & scripts;
* Test wireframes, prototypes and conduct cardsorts;
* Set up a testing room;
* Moderate testing sessions;
* Deal with different types of users;
* Analyze and present your data.

You will leave this workshop ready to start your own low-end or high-end usability testing.

From Semantic Studios

The way that organizations structure, organize, and manage information is becoming increasingly interwoven with their strategy, culture, and image. In the emerging worlds of eBusiness and knowledge management, it's not enough to align your information architecture with existing strategy. Your organization's goals, strategy, and tactics should be informed by the opportunities and constraints of your information architecture.

The labels and categories in your web site and intranet embody corporate decisions about your company's identity and strategic direction. The integration of your taxonomies and controlled vocabularies with search engine, automated classification, and content management technologies will define your ability to remain flexible and responsive to the evolving needs of customers and demands of the marketplace. In this advanced workshop, Morville will explain how you can leverage your information architecture to achieve an invisible competitive advantage.