.cross.wired.mind.

If IA is a broad practice then what falls under that broad umbrella? Here is a preliminary list that reflects my current thinking:

Digital IA

IA for the WWW - classic polar bear stuff. This would also include intranets and other web interfaces, though Web 2.0 might be unique enough to warrant its own status as a sub-discipline. Typical tasks would include user research, the creation of key systems for organization, categorization, labeling, navigation and the like. Deliverables could include user profiles or personas, user mental models, site structure diagrams, metadata models, controlled vocabularies, and possibly wireframes though this is straying into the realm of interaction or UI design.

IA for Software Applications - Software development presents a unique challenge for IAs. The infospace of an application is much more fluid than it would be on the web. Web 2.0 may be rich enough an experience to warrant its inclusion here. The tasks would be similar to those for the web but more attention would be paid to creating logical task flows. That would not include interface design. Task flows would divide tasks into logical and meaningful steps. The creation of control and navigation systems would also be similar, but in the case of software IA the design of these systems would be more dependent on workflow than structure. Software IA deliverables would include user profiles or personas, user mental models, process flow diagrams.

IA for Electronic Document Storage and Rerieval - library science in a purely electronic form. Regardless of the form (software, web, etc.) document management represents a unique challenge for IAs. Not only do we need to consider the semantic relationships between documents, but we must also take into account the lifecycle of a document. This is where the idea of an information ecology is most strongly expressed.

IA for Social Software - When the creation and management of an info space is determined by collective action how can an IA influence the shape of that information space? I believe that IAs can help to create the rules and mechanisms that the participants will use to shape their environment.

These are just my initial thoughts on the subject and I need to work though it some more.