Theme
Global Theme 2026
Designing for Meaning
Information architects design for meaning in everything we create. We intentionally shape how people understand and navigate systems, ensuring our structures create meaningful experiences rather than confusion.
Meaning is what transforms data into knowledge. It helps people make sense of complexity and find what they need. As information architects, we design structures that create meaning. We organize content so people can understand it. We build systems that connect users to the information that matters to them.
Purpose, Experience, and Everything in Between
Our work begins with purpose: understanding why information exists and what it should accomplish. It culminates in experience: how people actually encounter, understand, and use the information we’ve structured. Between purpose and experience lies the complex work of organizing, labeling, and connecting information in ways that bridge intent and reality.
Whether we design for humans navigating websites, create systems that work alongside AI, or organize information across different cultures, our intent remains constant: we deliberately structure information to create meaningful experiences that serve human purposes.
PAST THEMES
- 2025: Challenges of Change
- 2024: Context
- 2023: Orientation and Wayfinding
- 2022: A Connected World
- 2021: Curiosity
- 2020: The IA Element
- 2019: Design for Difference
- 2018: IA for Good
- 2017: Information Strategy & Structure
- 2016: Information Everywhere, Architects Everywhere
- 2015: Architecting Happiness
- 2014: Making the World a Better Place Through Information Architecture
- 2013: Exploring and Expanding the Ontologies of Information Architecture
- 2012: Designing Structures for Understanding
Visit information-architecture.world/worldiaday to learn more.