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Information architecture matured as a practice focused on the management of content-centric problems: facilitating hypertextual navigation between web sites, providing access to documents within intranets, helping people find products on e-commerce web sites.

In recent years, established businesses and start-ups have begun to develop next-generation web applications that enable users to solve problems and accomplish tasks. These web-based applications include:

• auctions
• supply-chain integration tools
• business-to-business exchanges
• planning and calendar systems
• process-automation tools

Drawing from experience developing sites for CarStation, Fasturn, PowerSpring, and Sageo, Andrea will describe the typical issues that arise in web application development. She will present solid ways of tackling the design of basic structures and for managing the intersection of information architecture and user interface design.

Finally, Andrea will explain how to build a multi-disciplinary team capable of creating these complex sites, and discuss the role of the information architect within such a team.