Main conference presentation

2007 IA slam: The workshop with a winner

Lynn Boyden, Chris Chandler, Matthew Fetchko, Eric Reiss

Saturday March 24 2007, 2:45 - 5:45PM

The rules of engagement for the IA Slam call for the brief presentation of a consulting scenario by the Instigators (that's us), followed by the completely random division of participants (that's you) into teams. You then work furiously to develop a response to the problem in less than an hour, using only the classic tools of IA, and your wits. At the end of the breakout session, teams present their solutions to the Instigators and whoever else is in the room. The Slam requires that teams employ not only the core tenets of IA theory, but also those that inform the realpolitik of IA practice: managing team politics,identifying problems, project management, time management, expectation management, brainstorming and designing solutions, and presenting a solution.

Solutions are judged by how well they respond to the clients’ needs, stated and otherwise. Additional criteria, too arcane to elaborate in this forum, are also evaluated to arrive at a clear winner of the annual Information Architecture Slam medal. The judges' decisions are often arbitrary but always final.