by Jay Fienberg
We have high hopes for our information systems. As information architects, we create what we call "information architecture," suggesting not merely structure, but even what Frank Lloyd Wright, in defining architecture, describes as "life itself taking form."
We design what enables the life of an information system. But, whether that design is limited by our job descriptions, or limited perhaps because we're secretly obsessed with creating something with a kind of "eternal life," we rarely account for how the system can die, or be broken into pieces. And, in the age of more and more information, we are missing-out on what is possibly the most important design opportunity of all: designing information systems that die better.
My presentation will explore how the tools and practices of information architecture, typically used for constructive / creative purposes, also can be used for destructive or eliminative purposes: to design websites and information systems that can be more easily gotten rid of, killed-off and/or broken apart.
This topic is relevant to information architects and designers currently involved in the creation of enterprise intranets and information systems (e.g., mostly trying to figure out how to kill-off the old ones), public web applications (e.g., parts of which you'll someday want to sell to Google or Yahoo!) and/or information devices (e.g., which you'll want us to replace every year anyway).
* Wikipedia entry on Fringe Festival
See also the 2006 entry:
Between Cathedrals and Bazaars:
Complementary Architectures for Control and Freedom of Information
© 2007 Jay Fienberg