Information architecture

Information architecture can be understood as the "rhetoric of design" (Salvo, 2004, p. 42).

“The metaphor information architecture, in recognizing the constructed nature of human communication, ably represents the demands made of the technical rhetorician. Information architecture, as a user-centered rhetorical art of design, relies on the participation of users, in effect opening an opportunity to build with the people who will be using technologies. Information architecture recognizes the power of technical rhetoricians to shape the medium and thereby affect the relationships between people in the world. Building on the information provided through analysis, information architecture proposes technocultural futures, using the symbolic action of rhetoric to construct alternative and reinforce existing social relations. In other words, information architecture, as constructed here, uses the results of analysis—research data—to inform action in the world. Information architecture is the interface between analysis and action that informs the technical rhetor’s design. As such, it is a means of assessing the rhetorical situation to determine the possibility for engagement and the potential outcome of action. Analyses and the descriptive methodologies that support these analyses are necessary, yet technical rhetoricians have not completed their task until they have acted on knowledge produced through analysis” (Salvo, 2004, p. 41).

Salvo, M. (2004). Rhetorical Action in Professional Space: Information Architecture as Critical Practice. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 18(1), 39-66.