IAC22
Years ago, when I was working for one of my product mentors, Matte Scheinker, in an attempt to reboot AOL surprised that we didn’t have any information architects on staff, as it wasn’t even a job title in the HR system anymore. He turned to me and asked, “Well, how many IAs does a company need?” So I thought about that question before answering and then said, “At least one.”
This got me thinking that somebody in the company needs to be the chief information architect to do the hard work of mapping the problem/opportunity space and the meaning and purpose of the product in that larger system.
This talk will share how a major component of product leadership requires the skills of a senior information architect, and explains how you can leverage these proficiencies to find your way into the C-Suite.
Systems thinking, product architecture, org design, roadmapping, and design ops all lean heavily on the IA skillset. Learn how to make a case for information architecture in all of those contexts, as you demonstrate your readiness to lead.
Christian Crumlish is the author of Product Management for UX People and founder of the Design in Product consultancy, community, and conference. Product lead at California’s Office of Data & Innovation, he has managed Covid, cannabis, and abortion sites. He’s working now to close the benefits gap, among other goals.
He was head of product at 7 Cups, Stanford MedX Prize winner and WEF Pioneer. He co-chaired the monthly BayCHI program, led product teams at CloudOn and AOL, curated the Yahoo design pattern library, and served two terms as a director of the IA Institute.
He got his AB at Princeton in philosophy.