The Informed Life

My guest today is my friend Lou Rosenfeld. Besides publishing books — including my own Living in Information — Lou and his team at Rosenfeld Media organize and manage industry conferences. In this episode, we talk about how they transitioned the recent Advancing Research conference from an in-person to a fully virtual event.Listen to the full conversation Show notesLouis RosenfeldRosenfeld Media @louisrosenfeld on Twitter The Informed Life Episode 1: Louis Rosenfeld on ManagingAdvancing Research 2020 ConferenceSome lessons learned from producing a virtual conference by Louis RosenfeldZoom Video WebinarsVimeoCheryl PlatzAbby CovertSteve PortigalNatalie HansonMailchimpMuralSlackThe Brady Bunch title screenLiving in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge ArangoHopinIxDA BerlinThe User’s Journey: Storymapping Products That People Love by Donna LichawMeld StudiosEnterprise Experience Conference 2020DesignOps SummitDoctor’s Note (Andy Polaine’s newsletter)Power of Ten (Andy Polaine’s podcast)Informa(c)tion (Jorge Arango’s newsletter)Some show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

My guest today is Matt Nish-Lapidus. Matt is an artist, musician, researcher, designer, and educator based in Toronto. Besides creating art and music, and doing design work, Matt also teaches at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. In this conversation, we discuss the role of art in our evolving technological and cultural environments.Listen to the full conversation Show notesMatt Nish-Lapidus (emenel.com)Matt on InstagramMatt on TwitterUniversity of TorontoNew media artSFMoMAMoMA (New York)Tate ModernNam June PaikTheodore AdornoThe Anthropocene New MaterialismJane BennettThe Walt Disney CompanyMarvelImpressionismCARFACDavid RokebyPietà by Michelangelo BuonarrotiJenny HolzerNew TendenciesSoft ThoughtsmåSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

My guest today is Ren Pope. Ren is a Principal at Info-Do, which offers data, information, and knowledge architecture consulting. He’s worked in these domains for the last 25 years or so, and has also taught colleagues how to do these things through workshops and presentations. In this episode, we focus on why organizations need to know about and develop ontologies.Listen to the full conversationShow notesInfo-DoRen Pope on LinkedInRen Pope on SlideShareCignaThe Information Architecture Conference (previously The Information Architecture Summit)Jessica DuVerneay on LinkedInOntologyTaxonomyHyponymy and hypernymySentence diagramCard sortingMind mapTheBrainObjectoriaSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

My guest today is my friend Abby Covert, also known as Abby the IA. Abby is a Senior Information Architect at Etsy. She wrote the book How to Make Sense of Any Mess, a wonderful primer on information architecture, and co-founded World IA Day. She’s also taught graduate design students and curated global conferences about design. She’s done many of these things remotely over the last decade, which makes her a great guide for how to collaborate in our new reality.Listen to the full conversation Show notesAbby the IA (Abby Covert’s website)EtsyHow To Make Sense of Any Mess, by Abby CovertWorld Information Architecture DayFax machinesMelbourne, FloridaRosenfeld MediaAdvancing Research ConferenceSchool of Visual ArtsPhoto of Abby’s home setupDesignOps SummitThe Museum of the Moving ImageLouis RosenfeldZoomZoom WebinarSlackCheryl PlatzMural Steinberg UR12Herman Miller chairsOpening sequence of Mr. Rogers’ NeighborhoodSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Aynne Valencia is an expert in design and former Chair of the interaction design program at the California College of the Arts. In this conversation, she compares the rhythms of design across private, civic, and educational sectors. Aynne shares her 18-year career journey, emphasizing patience and collaboration. She addresses long-term versus quick decision-making in design, highlighting the impact of governance on digital services. The discussion also critiques rapid design practices, urging designers to prioritize societal benefits.

My guest today is Nicholas Paul Brysiewicz, the director of development of the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco, CA. The Foundation was created to foster long-term thinking, and in this conversation, Nick and I talk about how a broader time perspective can help us understand difficult times and lay the groundwork for a better future.A note about context: We recorded this conversation in early March of 2020, before the coronavirus had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a national emergency by the U.S. government. I’m certain our tone would’ve been more somber if we were talking about this subject closer to the date of publication. Still, I find that adopting a broader perspective helps me make more level-headed decisions, especially during difficult times. Finally, please heed the advice of medical experts and avoid social places like The Interval for the time being.Listen to the full conversation Show notesThe Long Now FoundationThe 10,000 Year ClockThe Rosetta ProjectRevive & RestoreLong BetsThe Interval, San Francisco, CASeminars About Long-term ThinkingU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)World Health Organization (WHO)Elon MuskQasem SoleimaniHerodotusThe Greco-Persian WarsThe Landmark Herodotus: The HistoriesThe Republic of Plato, translated by Allan BloomProfessor Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.The Great Courses Herodotus: The Father of HistoryIan McKellenThe Odyssey audiobook, narrated by Ian McKellenGame of ThronesSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

My guest today is Christian Crumlish. Christian has led product and design teams in organizations ranging from startups to large tech companies. In this conversation, we delve into the relationship between digital product management and information architecture, and how we might be more empowered as users of these systems.Listen to the full conversation Show notesChristian Crumlish (mediajunkie.com)Dungeons and DragonsPaladinYahoo!Design in Product Slack communityRichard Saul WurmanUnderstanding Context: Environment, Language, and Information Architecture by Andrew HintonPervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User Experiences by Andrea Resmini and Luca RosatiReframing Information Architecture by Andrea Resmini (Editor)Information Architecture for the Web and Beyond by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge ArangoLiving in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge ArangoInspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, Second Edition by Marty CaganShape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work That Matters by Ryan SingerBasecampObjectives and key results (OKRs)Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World With OKRs by John DoerrAmazon KindleMatte ScheinkerAirtableAsanaTinderboxThe Informed Life Episode 6: Beck Tench on TinderboxNotionWikisFrom UX to Product (Christian’s video series in the UIE All You Can Learn Library)The Information Architecture ConferenceWeb Directions ProductSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

My guest today is Maria Giudice. Maria founded Hot Studio, a design consultancy that was acquired by Facebook in 2013. After leaving Facebook, she served as VP of Design at Autodesk. In this conversation, Maria reveals how she found her purpose, and shares with us the exciting next stage of her career.Listen to the full conversation Show notesMaria Giudice on LinkedInMaria Giudice on FacebookHot StudioRichard Saul WurmanInformation Architects by Richard Saul WurmanCooper UnionFortranMassimo VignelliThe yellow pagesCCACartographyMacintosh IIciAdobe PhotoshopAdobe IllustratorTimes New RomanHelveticaMosaic web browserNetscapeFrank FrazettaItalic scriptThe Speedball Textbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Pen and Brush Lettering by Joanne FinkAutodeskClement MokThe Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David BrooksRise of the DEO: Leadership by Design by Maria Giudice and Christopher IrelandRise of the DEO posts in MediumSome show notes may include Amazon affiliate links. I get a small commission for purchases made through these links.

In this conversation, Peter Merholz, co-founder of Adaptive Path and design executive, shares insights from his extensive career in UX design. He explores how organizational structure impacts customer experiences and advocates for cross-functional teams over traditional silos. Peter emphasizes the strategic role of design leadership in promoting user-centered approaches within analytical cultures. He also discusses the importance of aligning design efforts with organizational goals to enhance decision-making and societal impact.

My guest today is Cyd Harrell. Cyd is a product, service design, and user research leader focused on the civic and government space. In this conversation, we discuss the differences between designing for civic and commercial projects and what it takes to design respectful systems that stand the test of time.Listen to the full conversation https://theinformeddotlife.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/the-informed-life-episode-27-cyd-harrell-1.mp3 Show notesCyd Harrell on TwitterCenter for Civic DesignCode for America18FCalifornia CourtsCanUXUX for Institutions (Cyd’s design deck from CanUX 2019)A sketchnote of Cyd’s presentation by Eva-Lotta LammThe Constitution of the United StatesTim O’ReillyJorge’s pace layer diagramLiving in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge ArangoPace Layering: How Complex Systems Keep Growing and Learning by Stewart BrandHow Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built by Stewart Brand L.A. libraries will stop collecting late fees for overdue books and other materials (Los Angeles Times)Asimov’s Laws of Robotics