Know Thyself: Understanding and Working with Common IA Personality Traits

Know Thyself:
Understanding and Working with
Common IA Personality Traits
World IA Day 2016 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Ashley Deal [a.deal@dezudio.com, @ashleyinpgh]
Raelynn O’Leary [r.oleary@dezudio.com, @RaelynnUX]

Know Thyself: Understanding and Working with Common IA Personality Traits World IA Day 2016 Pittsburgh
We don’t back down from a challenge.
We seek clarity and understanding.
We believe that if we work on it,
we can make it better.

Passion Competence
Need

“I have come to the realization that
what you choose to do should be
a combination of what you like
to do and what you do well.”
– Richard Saul Wurman

what we do

What We Do
Compare Categorize Identify the Essential
Establish Patterns
Meet People
Where They Are
Spark Insight
Understanding
Build a Narrative
Explain HowProvide Orientation

Bruce Robertson/The Diagram Group, Handtools of Arts and Crafts

Charles Joseph Minard, Napoleon’s March

Harry Beck, London Underground Map

Politizane, Wealth Inequality in America

Edward Tufte augments illustrations from Markus Bloch’s Ichthyologie

ThoughtForm, Medicare Made Clear

Eleanor Lutz,
Flight Videos Deconstructed

disclaimers
These ideas won’t be 100% true for any
of you all of the time.
These attributes might be more or less
salient depending on what you’re doing.
We’re talking about the you that does
IA work.
Even if you don’t identify with the traits
we describe, we’re putting them forth
as food for thought in hopes that it will
stimulate your own self-inquiry.

why we do it

We take satisfaction in order, and
we’re detail-oriented.
We are thoughtful and thorough.
We are mediators, diplomats, and
peacemakers.
We are confident in our ability to
make things better.

Robert S. Donovan, www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/
Take Satisfaction in Order; Detail-Oriented

Robert S. Donovan, www.flickr.com/photos/booleansplit/
At Our Best
• Enjoy figuring out how things are supposed to be
• Notice details that others might overlook
• Maintain a balance between understanding the whole
and implementing the particulars consistently with
exacting detail

David Stock, www.david-stock.com

David Stock, www.david-stock.com
Potential Pitfalls
• Might have strong feelings about how things are
supposed to be; come off as strong-willed
• Might have difficulty accepting or acknowledging when
we’re wrong
• Might find it difficult to trust others, or worry that
others’ efforts won’t live up to our own standards
• Might become too critical, looking for what’s wrong
rather than what’s right

Clint Mason, www.flickr.com/photos/128967336@N07/
Thoughtful and Thorough

Clint Mason, www.flickr.com/photos/128967336@N07/
At Our Best
• Patient, curious, inquisitive
• Open to new information while building our own
understanding
• Eager to fully understand a new domain

Rachel Gallic, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj2eA3k7Mh4

Rachel Gallic, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj2eA3k7Mh4
Potential Pitfalls
• Might be uncomfortable showing things to others
before they are fully fleshed out and resolved
• Might become frustrated once we’ve arrived at an
understanding when people disagree with us
• Might become too rigid or get too locked into things
being a certain way

Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, www.noahs-ark.org
Mediators, Diplomats, Peacemakers

Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, www.noahs-ark.org
At Our Best
• Understand both sides of a situation; identify the source
of misunderstandings or miscommunications
• Able to speak different languages (business, marketing,
technology, users)
• Highly empathetic; effective at seeing things how
others might see them
• Value peace, harmony, equilibrium; frequently find
ways to fill in the gaps and smooth things over

The Internets (origin unknown)

• Might take on more than we should because we’ve
inserted ourselves into a situation
• Might make incorrect assumptions or oversimplify
what’s really happening; ignore information that doesn’t
mesh well with our perspective
• Might move to smooth things over or explain things on
behalf of others to alleviate our own discomfort, when
it might be better to let things resolve organically
Potential Pitfalls
The Internets (origin unknown)

Warner Brothers, Man of Steel
Confident in Ability to Make Things Better

Warner Brothers, Man of Steel
At Our Best
• Broad skills and interests
• Willing to jump in and figure things out
• Quick study; readily pick up new concepts

Apinoid, www.flickr.com/photos/apionid/

Apinoid, www.flickr.com/photos/apionid/
Potential Pitfalls
• Might overstep bounds—get ourselves involved in
things we don’t have to be
• Might become resistant if we feel like others are being
too prescriptive
• Might create internal pressure or have strong feelings of
responsibility for being the one who fixes things; that
pressure can stifle creativity and impede relationships

strategies

• Choose your battles wisely.
-- How far along are you in the process?
-- What’s the likelihood of your solution being implemented?
-- How much work will it take?
-- Is there a moral or ethical component, or a principle that
you want to uphold?
-- Is there a potential to damage personal relationships?
-- How bad will it be if it doesn’t get implemented the way that
you want it to?
Dealing with Personality Pitfalls
Strategies

• Choose your battles wisely.
• Be careful what you sign up for.
• Share your work early and often.
• Presume value even when it’s not obvious.
• Cultivate the skill of giving feedback.
• Value progress as much as perfection.
Dealing with Personality Pitfalls
Strategies

thank you.

Know Thyself: Understanding and Working with Common IA Personality Traits

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