Change is Good

After 5 years of working independently for clients on their information architecture challenges, I found a challenge I want to take on full time. Next week I will be starting a full time position at Etsy as their first staff information architect. I will be joining their newly formed “Systems” team to work on the way the pieces of Etsy come together to form a holistic user experience.

I started working with Etsy last spring as a consultant, and after 6 months of getting to know their business I started to see myself as part of their team. More than that, I fell in love with the vision that they have for their place in the world. I love that they provide a framework for entrepreneurs and makers to reach broader audiences. I love their commitment to sustainability. And I love how committed everyone who works there is to getting better at what they do. I have also been impressed with their commitment to bringing IA thinking into their culture.

During the same timeframe I started to become more interested in the idea of practicing collaborative information architecture over time, dealing with the challenges that arise in governance and the slow implementation of change to language and structure. As a consultant, and former agency IA, I have worked as an outsider for clients for the last 10 years. This position will allow me to put my ideas to the test as an innie.

I look forward to sharing what I learn with the IA community.

ps. Want to work with me? We are hiring a taxonomist to join the team: https://t.co/1K1PQkfHCb