Architecture of Information

Abstract

The information architecture as a discipline of information science has been a fertile ground for disagreement about definitions which are mostly based on practical, devoid of epistemological and scientific grounds, where each ”actor” involved seeks to provide tools, techniques and concepts based on their own perspective and personal training that considers more appropriate. This paper argues that the time for a comprehensive definition is reached, based on the definition of Saul Wurman (1997) to synthesize and express in simple terms a collection of linguistic concepts that influence the perception of reality. The ways and means adopted by the discipline of information architecture in its development have in practice, limited their potential and scope. Its potential applicability to understanding the human experience in general and the phenomena of information in particular, remains to be explored. The research aims to contribute to the construction of the discipline of information architecture in terms required by Haverty (2002). The identification of formal theoretical aspects assist in the understanding of the interaction between the elements that compose it, from a systemic perspective, scientific status and key processes that define the discipline as a practice. We propose a definition based on the epistemological framework of phenomenology, by the analogy with the traditional architecture and methodology concept.