Be part of World IA Day Toronto 2023!
World Information Architecture Day celebrates information architecture and shares knowledge and ideas from analogue to digital, from design to development, from students to practitioners, globally and locally.
Our registration page is live!
See our page on the World Information Architecture Day 20203 Vi.to hub!
Venue, parking and transit
The Toronto version of the global event will take place on March 4, 2023. The location will be SPACES Queen West at 180 John St, Toronto, ON M5T 1X5. The event will take place on the 7th floor. Volunteers will be around to guide attendees to the event location.
SPACES Queen West Exterior
Parking Information
The nearest parking is the underground parking near Scotiabank Theatre.
Parkway RioCan Hall Garage (260 m)
263 Richmond St W.
Toronto, ON M5V 3M6
John - Richmond
Refer to https://www.parkme.com/lot/189145/riocan-hall-toronto-on-canada for rates and other details about the parking.
Very limited paid parking is also available on John Street.
Public Transit Information
The closest TTC subway station to the venue is Osgoode. From Osgoode station, take a quick 5 minute walk to the west along Queen St W and turn north at John St. The venue is just past the Starbucks and Members Only Waffle House.
Map from Osgoode TTC subway station to SPACES Queen West
The 501 streetcar route stops near the venue. Please check the TTC website for potential delays or route changes on the day of the event before departing.
Accessibility Information
The entrance to Spaces is on 180 John Street. The main entrance is 41” with a 33” stop gap ramp.
The entrance to the main lobby is 41”. The main lobby provides access to the elevator to the venue space on the 7th floor.
The elevator has a 42” door and its dimensions are (height x width x length) 70” by 55” by 70”.
There are braille notations in the elevator. A volunteer will also ride the elevator to ensure people arrive on the correct floor – the 7th floor.
There is 1 accessible washroom with powered doors on each floor including the 7th floor. A volunteer will also be available to assist.
The doorway is 30.7”. Washrooms are equipped with horizontal grab bars.
FAQs
What is the cost to attend?
The event is free!
Will food be provided?
Yes, breakfast pastries, coffee, and tea will be provided for free.
Is the event wheelchair accessible?
Yes, there is an elevator available to take attendees up to the 7th floor of the venue, where the event will be held.
Will I be required to wear a mask or be vaccinated?
No. Masked or unmasked, vaxxed or unvaxxed, all are welcome. Masks will not be required but they will be available for those who want them. We will not be checking vaccination status.
Will there be a livestream of the event available online?
No, the event is purely in-person. We plan to record each session and upload them with captions after the event has concluded.
Can I volunteer?
Thank you for your interest, but our call for volunteers is closed.
I have another question. Who can I contact?
You can email us at toronto@worldiaday.org.
Program/Schedule
All speakers will participate together in a panel after their presentations.
Main Speakers
- Michael Priestley, Information Architect & Taxonomist at Avalara: "From a Train to a Transit System: Enabling Self-Directed User Journeys"
- Constance Cerf, Content Design Manager II at Uber Eats: "How to Organize Your Junk Drawer"
- Keith Schengili-Roberts, Technical Writing Manager at AMD: "Some Thoughts About Content Strategy and Chatbots"
Lightning Speakers
- Trevor Cross, Graduate Student at University of Toronto Faculty of Information: "Wayfinding with Age: Information Architecture Preferences Among Older Adults"
- Grace Chen, UX Designer at CIBC: "Investing in Information Architecture, and Vice Versa"
Sign In + Networking
Introduction + Welcome
"How to Organize Your Junk Drawer"
Let’s talk about how to prioritize what lives outside of 'core' user experiences. We’ll be diving into the junk drawers of every product: the settings section. We’ll cover ways to organize it better, ways to clear it out altogether and why we accumulate things there in the first place.
"Some Thoughts About Content Strategy and Chatbots"
ChatGPT has been making waves recently with its ability to generate content on demand, bringing the possibilities of chatbots to a wide audience. What are the implications of such chatbots for content strategy, technical documentation, and communicating with customers?
"From a Train to a Transit System: Enabling Self-Directed User Journeys"
When we publish our org chart, the user of our website pays the price: the content they need to complete a journey may be spread across many different parts of a website, or even across different websites for the same company. If instead we organize the website around audience needs and interests, we can accommodate users starting their journey at many different points, and enable them to explore and progress on their own terms. A website organized around audience needs has the potential to improve search rank, engagement, and journey progression, by logically connecting content across the website in ways that both Google and the user can understand and navigate.
Break & Networking
"Wayfinding with Age: Information Architecture Preferences Among Older Adults"
Older adults often experience a unique combination of physical, cognitive, and digital literacy challenges that impact how they browse websites and consume content. The information architecture of websites, particularly the website structure, can significantly impact the experience older adults have when using the internet. Strategies like using simple linear website structures are often adopted to meet the needs of some older adults. However, “older adults” is a broad category and represents a diverse group of individuals, each with their own needs, and preferences. Recent research, which considers the plurality of older adults, indicates there may be no single perfect solution. Instead, websites should offer users the ability to tailor the way they navigate pages and how they view content to their individual needs and preferences. Enabling users to self-tailor content and navigation elements makes websites more accessible and usable for older adults and a wide range of other users.
"Investing in Information Architecture, and Vice Versa"
Self-directed investors face a paralyzing amount of decisions in the financial world, and having to trade on outdated systems doesn't help. With evermore links, features, and pages getting added to CIBC Investor’s Edge, how do we deal with bloat, redundancy, and change management?
Panel
The panel will feature all speakers from the event.
