Skills needed by information architects
In 2005, ID SIG member Art Ignacio analyzed job postings for information architects and developed the following list of skills called for most frequently.
Art explains how the list was structured:
The following requirements were collected from job listings with the term “Information Architect” in the posting’s title. An attempt has been made to categorize the requirements. Where meaningful, items within each category are listed in order of increasing level of requirement. Information Technology (IT) is the most technology-centric category, with requirements outside the norm, but representing some employers views of the position.
This list may suggest a career path from technical communication to information architecture.
- User, usability
- Conduct user surveys
- Perform task analysis
- Perform heuristic evaluations
- Determine audience needs
- Create task flows
- Define user scenarios, persona development
- Business requirements
- Manage stakeholder expectations
- Deliver status to senior management
- Perform comparative, competitive research
- User interface development
- Produce mockups, wireframes, flowcharts, storyboards, content inventory, site maps
- Develop working prototypes, perform rapid prototyping
- Demonstrate UIs and test functional alternatives
- Perform iterative UI design
- Possess facilitation and interpersonal skills; able to work with cross-functional team
- Translate user research to design decisions
- Develop functional specifications, page specifications, visual specifications
- Implementation
- Develop templates
- Establish standards, guidelines
- Manage 3rd party vendors, contract staff, work with remote teams
- Web technologies, experience with the following
- Web site tracking and analytics
- Data modeling, databases, XML, taxonomy, hierarchy, classification, categorization
- Search, form filling
- Tools, experience with the following
- MS Office, Acrobat Distiller
- MS Project
- Visio, Photoshop, Illustrator, FreeHand, Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS
- JavaScipt, Flash, Flash ActionScript
- Adobe Premier, Windows Media, QuickTime
- CMS, Documentum, TeamSite
- Information Technology (IT)
- Develop workflow, logical processes, h/w, os, interfaces between systems
- Experience with application, data, middleware
- Create entity relationship diagrams
- Create CRUD (create, retrieve, update, delete) matrices, data modeling
- Experience with Web-based application frameworks (.NET, JSP, ASP, PHP, etc.)
- Knowledge of Internet and email standards and UNIX system administration
- Evaluate tools, technologies
- Work with application vendors to understand direction, roadmap
- Experience with WebLogic, WebSphere
- Education
- Art, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Industrial Design, Interface Design, Technical Communications
- Cognitive Psychology, Human Computer Interaction, Human Factors
- Instructional Design, Library Science, Information Science
- Information Systems, Computer Science
- Business Administration