Ambient Findability Book Review – Information Architecture for the Ages

Peter Morville is the president of a leading information architecture firm and the ultimate authority on a concept he refers to as search capability. In his 2005 book Environmental location, explores information architecture and web navigability, concepts that are becoming increasingly crucial for any business or organization.

These ideas are certainly covered in other work, but the scope of Morville’s research really sets him apart. It breaks down the usability of internet technologies and search engine marketing, but reduces it to basic human instincts such as finding paths and the fear of getting lost in a physical sense. It is a new perspective and a great way to make sense of what is happening to us in the digital age.

Morville speaks of an increasingly connected world in which participants are displacing themselves from their immediate surroundings – think about how many times you’ve escaped to your smartphone to avoid an unfavorable situation.

We are experiencing a major cultural shift away from documents and even desktop computers into a world where we are mobile and always connected.

In addition to platforms, the actual sources of information represent an even more significant transformation. We used to have a small number of high authority resources to consult, while today we are bombarded with endless websites that appear on Google and compete for our attention and trust. In an era where anyone can post, who are we to believe?

Morville establishes a set of guidelines for information literacy that will allow us to effectively navigate through the excess of information and locate what we are looking for while recognizing that there is no longer a simple “right answer.”

The book was written five years ago and in a field that is changing so rapidly that it may seem too long to be effective. But the fact that Morville’s research links digital technologies to basic human survival instincts means that his findings transcend any particular time period – they will be valuable as long as search capability continues to evolve.