2019 IA Conference
In 2002 I passed through a gate labeled “Information Architect” (a smaller sign read “now leaving Content Strategist”) and ever since the IA worldview has informed my approach to the design and building of digital spaces. Since then I passed through additional gates with names such as “Interaction Designer” and “Pattern Detective,” and “Design Manager” among others, most recently a gateway called “Head of Product.”
The journey has (in retrospect) been a quest to understand and build meaningful online spaces, leading up to a startup trying to scale compassion globally.
In this talk I will share how the skills I learned as an IA have helped me on this career journey and through this series of gates in search of meaning.
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.