2027 speakers
Dan Brown
TALK
From boxes and arrows to puddles and streams: IA in the age of ambiguity
There was a time when content stayed in its categories. When a flow was linear. When outputs were predictable from inputs. The explosion of user-generated content, algorithmically defined experiences, and of course AI-infused functionality make traditional information architecture insufficient for confronting today’s UX challenges.
Digital spaces are becoming less defined, less ordered, less rule-driven. In short, they are more ambiguous. Despite this shift, the role of IA is no less important. People still need to understand where they are, what they can do, and where they can go.
In this talk, Dan will explore the question “What does it mean to design structures for ambiguous spaces?” Dan will cover:
What IA for ambiguous spaces looks like
A few useful terms for building structures for ambiguity
Three new perspectives (or “lenses”) for evaluating their work
ABOUT THIS SPEAKER
Dan Brown (he/him) is an independent UX and IA consultant. For 18 years, he co-led boutique agency EightShapes. In 2024 Dan started Curious Squid to provide high-quality information architecture and UX consulting to clients like JLL, the State of North Carolina, IFS, and Adobe.
Dan wrote three books on UX design, including Designing Together: The Collaboration and Conflict Management Handbook for Creatives. His Information Architecture Lenses helps designers apply IA thinking to their work. On the podcast Unchecked, he and co-host Rachel Price explore the complexities of IA in the age of disinformation. Dan’s passion for information architecture is eclipsed only by his enthusiasm for board games.