How to Craft Your Proposal

2019 - Backstage

Bibiana Nunes

What does it take to submit a proposal to IAC19?
We’re looking for new voices and new ideas. We will choose a mix of hands-on, practical, “you can bring it back to work next week” sessions together with thought-provoking theory-driven talks.

Proposal Structure

Start with an idea worth sharing with the community.
Provide a short description of the talk.
Tell us the takeaways participants should expect.
Tell us a little bit about you.

Content we are looking for

Conference Theme

We want gateways to be at the heart of every conversation. What does gateways mean to you? How do you incorporate that into your thinking and your work?

Suggested Topics

Information architecture has evolved, in practice, throughout the ages. Some of those changes have been flashpoints in our profession. What is the right job title for what we do? Is UX really IA? Is IA really UX? And now, more than ever, we stand on another threshold. The age of digital design is evolving so rapidly that our collective skills are vital to the success of emerging technologies.

A few sample topics to get you started:

• Approaches for modeling large-scale information environments
• Connecting information architecture with strategy and design
• Ethics and social responsibility in the practice of information architecture, experience strategy, and design
• Bridging academia research and real-world practice
• IA in the enterprise
  • IA and content management systems
  • Improving data modeling with information architecture
  • Improving marketing communications with structured content
  • Improving product design with information architecture
  • Practicing IA in a culture of agility
  • IA frameworks, process, and practice
  • IA theory and science
  • Information architecture in 2100
  • Methods for building consensus
  • Methods for framing strategic objectives
  • Modeling human behavior for immersive digital experiences
  • Organizational dynamics of IA and UX teams in large public- or private-sector organizations
  • Research in information architecture and user information interaction behavior
  • Selling information architecture in the enterprise
  • The future promise and challenges of structuring physical-digital space: augmented and virtual reality
  • The value proposition of information architecture in a culture of design and software engineering
  • What information architecture can learn from other disciplines

  Resources for Writing a Great Proposal

  Not sure what a great proposal looks like? We’ve gathered a few resources to help you.

  • • It’s All About the Details: What the IA Summit Taught Me About Submitting to a Conference (IA Summit 2015)
    • Giles on Crafting a Proposal (IA Summit 2013)
    • Conference Proposals that Don’t Suck
    • How to write a kick-ass conference proposal
    • What Your Conference Proposal is Missing
    • How to Write a Conference Speaking or Session Proposal that Gets Chosen Every Time
    • Sample proposals for O’Reilly Conferences
    • How to write a compelling proposal

  Need additional help?

  Ask for help from our community on Slack or Twitter.

  Submit your proposal by 11/11

Bibiana Nunes is a Venezuelan electronic engineer turned UXer living in Mexico City. She has specialized in information architecture for the past 8 years working in consultancy agencies, leading eCommerce in adidas Mexico, and sharing her learnings with the community. In 2016 she translated Abby Covert’s “How to Make Sense of Any Mess” in Spanish and has contributed to the development of the UX community in Mexico.