World IA Day 2024 Boston

Mastering Context: Navigating the Data Landscape

In this keynote address, I'll explore smart and strategic ways to organize data that breaks down organizational silos while making it universally beneficial for diverse stakeholders across different contexts.

When it comes down to it, data (no matter how big) is composed of common building blocks that, when identified and structured properly, can form the foundation for deep understanding. Through a healthcare use case, we'll examine how different contexts of use (providers, patients, AI, finance, operations, marketing) all benefit from a holistic approach to data that has been shaped using the foundational frameworks of information architecture. I'll share how information architecture serves as the bridge to connect and supercharge data by providing structure, organization, and a common understanding to foster meaning and ultimately drive impactful outcomes.

Presenter: Dawn Russell

Dawn Russell is an insightful, visionary, and authentic leader who creates technology-enhanced solutions that improve the lives and experiences of people to drive compelling business results. 

Learn more at dawnrussell.us or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Taxonomies help connect users to content, and they improve findability over keyword search alone. As such, taxonomies should be created so that they are customized to the context of the content and to the users. How to go about this will be addressed in this interactive workshop. Content analysis and term extraction are methods to make a taxonomy match its content, and user interviews and brainstorming sessions are methods to make a taxonomy suit its users. Exercises will include analyzing a document for candidate concepts, looking at the results of a term extraction tool and of a search log report. Small breakout groups will then brainstorm a taxonomy structure and top terms to serve the identified users.

Presenter: Heather Hedden

Heather Hedden is a taxonomy consultant, who has been working in the field of taxonomies and information management for over 28 years. She currently works as Senior Consultant with the knowledge and information management consulting firm Enterprise Knowledge and previously consulted through Project Performance Corporation and independently through Hedden Information Management, helping clients develop or enhance taxonomies for information and content findability on websites or in internal systems. In addition to consulting, Heather has worked in taxonomy roles for Semantic Web Company (vendor of PoolParty software), Gale/Cengage, First Wind, and Viziant. She also gives workshops on taxonomy creation through different organizations, at conferences, and as corporate and independent training. Heather is author of the book The Accidental Taxonomist, 3rd edition.

We'll hang out for 15 minutes and then possibly go to the bar inside the library for an after hours get together (they have non-alcoholic drinks and food).