Theme: Information architecture—the bridge between humans and technology
Call for Participation
As technology continues to advance at lightning speed, and AI becomes an increasing presence in our lives, it’s easy to get swept up in what their capabilities can do for us. But as we innovate, it’s crucial not to lose sight of the human experiences at the heart of it all. That’s why this year’s theme for the 2025 Information Architecture Conference is Information Architecture—The Bridge Between Humans and Technology.
We’ll explore how IA can act as that essential bridge, ensuring user-centered design in an increasingly Tech/AI-focused world. How can we structure data to serve meaningful information? How do we maintain ethical and responsible design practices? And how can we make sure that technology enhances, rather than detracts from, the human experience.
We invite proposals that:
- Explore forward-thinking concepts around using IA to root technology in real human experiences.
- Tackle practical content and IA challenges such as improving navigation systems, structuring content for AI-driven projects, and delivering quality, user-centered information.
- Embrace foundational practices to meet the demands of today and the future.
- Engage with issues of ethics in IA and design and our responsibility as human information architects.
- What experiences and practices can you share with our community?
- How can we thrive in this evolving landscape? We look forward to your insights!
Session Types
To ensure a varied program, we will include a mix of session types across the three days.
- Lighting Talk: A short talk focusing on one point or concept by one speaker (10 minutes)
- Full Talk: A standard lecture-style talk for one or two speakers (20-25 minutes)
Speakers for the 30-minute talk will receive free registration to the conference. Lightning Talk presenters will receive a discount.
Dates
- Submissions open on September 27, 09:00 a.m. (PST)
- Submission deadline – October 20, 11:59 p.m. (PST)
- Program decided and communicated in November 2024
Note: This page will ask you to log in to the Softconf system to see the submission form. You will need to create an account on Softconf in order to submit.
Talk details
- Title of your talk.
- Session subtitle / plain language title. Necessary to provide a clear focus of the session, since many sessions have vague or dramatic titles. Unlike the website description, this is intended for the review and curation teams to properly assess the talk. It should be a detailed overview of the content covered, rather than a vague intrigue – do not just repeat the summary in this section.
- Description for the website (300 words). Written to elicit interest and intrigue from the attendee audience 200-character description (include #iac25). Allows for social media marketing of the session and acts as a means of focusing the session topic or message.
- Supporting evidence (slides, previous presentations, videos).
- Best topic. (Exploring forward-thinking concepts, Tackling practical content and IA challenges, Embracing foundational practices, Engaging with issues of ethics in IA and design).
- Best format (Lightning talk or Full talk).
- Why did you select this format?
- Second choice format
- Has this material been presented before?
- If so, where and when? Feel free to submit links to a recording or slide deck. Note: If you don’t have recordings or never presented before, that’s OK! We actively seek out new voices!
- Why are you qualified to speak about this?
- How many times have you presented at the IAC Conference?
Audience needs
- Intended audience: (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced).
- What will attendees gain?
- 3-5 specific lessons and takeaways.
- Why should people care? How will this session improve someone’s IA practice?
- Why might a company pay for their employee to attend this session?
A good proposal is clear about the topic, the context, and what it will provide to the audience.
Here are links to writing a good proposal.
Tips for Writing a Great Conference Proposal
How to write a successful conference proposal, Dave Cheney
At the IAC Conference, we provide support for speakers as they go through the process of developing their talks from proposals, to preparing the session before the conference and practicing in the Speaker Studio at the conference venue. If you’d like support in developing a proposal, please contact IA Conference curation.