The DITA-OT Developer is responsible for developing and maintaining DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT)-based output plugins using XSLT and Java. This includes XSL-FO-based PDF deliverables, online HTML deliverables, and XML conversion utilities.

The Delivery Information Architect is responsible for designing and implementing the IA for specific content delivery channels or platforms. This role manages the content delivery experience, which is defined by the user journey through content in deliverables like website articles, app content, books, PDFs, etc.

The Content Strategist plays a crucial role in connecting business goals with various teams, including content creators, support, engineering, and marketing. The primary responsibility of the Content Strategist is to develop and execute initiatives for effectively communicating with both internal and external stakeholders. This role requires a strong understanding of technical concepts, excellent communication skills, and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Curmudgeons can be valuable assets when it comes to initiating new projects or changes at work. By understanding their motivations and engaging them effectively, we can harness their expertise and insights to make our initiatives stronger and more successful.

Every working Information Architect has a unique job description, list of responsibilities, and set of skills. Regardless of how broad and amorphous this role is, most Information Architects agree on one thing—this job is all about structuring and maintaining information so that it is findable and useable.

When you implement DITA, it’s important to identify at least one person – ideally, more than one – at the start of the project to lead the IA effort. The information architect is a permanent role whose contribution will continue as your content and business needs change.

Intelligent content fuses technology with human capability and knowledge so that it is findable (via understanding human search intent), reusable, and machine readable (via structured components and metadata). This roundtable brought together different voices of experts in the intelligent content space who each have their own hand in building and/or using content that better suits the needs of a workplace.

In the realm of GenAI projects, the leadership and implementation are often spearheaded by IT teams. However, there is a growing recognition that content professionals should play a significant role in these initiatives. Unlike traditional IT-centric projects, GenAI projects heavily rely on the expertise of content professionals. When organizations involve the right people in these projects, they can propel these initiatives, transforming content into dynamic, user-centric solutions.

On January 17th, I participated in a panel discussion with Lief Erickson and Fabrice Lacroix. Having spent the last year or so integrating generative AI into our content work, we thought it was time to share our experiences.

Did you catch my ConVEx 2023 presentation with Leigh White, “Where’s Waldo: Finding Data in Your Content?” We covered a lot in 45 minutes—even so, we had to gloss over a ton of great info. To rectify this, we’re sharing this implementation checklist and resource list.

What’s the difference between platform dependent and platform independent deliverables? And why should we care? In this episode, Patrick Bosek and I talk troubleshooting and the difficulties of validating information architectural design and implementation.

The global volume of content is growing at exponential rates. We need more and more Information Architects to structure and direct that content to the appropriate people and places. In this podcast, Patrick Bosek and I discuss possible career entryways for aspiring Information Architects.

Patrick Bosek and Amber Swope discuss the history of Information Architecture, the value of DITA, and the art of harmonizing content collections.

In this video, we discuss how information architecture can evolve over time, share strategies for aligning information architecture with business goals, and explore differences in IA maturity models.

Is your information architecture ready for a CCMS? Here are 23 things you need to do before your implementation.

If you want to fully leverage your CCMS features, it’s time to update your IA. Learn how to evaluate your map structures, topic structures, metadata, and content reuse strategies.

In this on-demand IXIATalks webinar, Amber Swope and Rob Kimm discuss how business requirements dictate the appropriate governance for information architecture, technology, and process.

Join Amber Swope as she walks through her methodology for analyzing deliverables and content to inform the content model.

Patrick Bosek and special guest Amber Swope of DITA Strategies talk about developing information architecture in an Agile environment.