Session type: Main Conference Talk

You found a profession that you love. Maybe love is too strong for you, maybe you just enjoy it. You've learned, you've grown, you've arrived. And then, CHANGE.

You get a new boss, and they don't like the way things are done. Or you find out from a peer that the best practices have changed in light of new regulations. Perhaps a global pandemic suddenly changes the way the world works. What do you do? First and foremost, as recommended by the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, DON'T PANIC.

As humans, we're wired to have a fear of uncertainty. So when we're doing what we love and we're comfortable, it sometimes takes too long to notice when we're not loving it as much anymore.

When I found Information Architecture, I knew I'd found the right fit for me. But it's taken a lot of resilience, self-learning and willingness to change to be able to go from "Entry level” to "Seasoned Professional”. Join me to learn how.

One primary tension in taxonomy construction is between best practices (as defined by various taxonomy standards) and practical (business) requirements.

That is: the tension is between categorization according to *what things are* versus *where people will look for them*.

How can we balance or reconcile these priorities? Can we model our way out of them? And what are the options?

This issue is paramount in Topic taxonomies; Topic or Subject taxonomies are very common and present specific modeling challenges.

People are used to navigating topic-oriented structures. It is common sense to put things where people will find them; however, that does not mean that it's also Good Taxonomy Practice.

In this talk, I'll address the difference between Concepts and Topics, outline some of the challenges in building these types of taxonomies, and offer a number of practical solutions for addressing them.