27 Jul 2025: World Information Architecture Day 2026 on DESIGNING FOR MEANING
World IA Day 2026 announces 'Designing for Meaning' theme. Explore how information architects create purposeful experiences worldwide March 7.
July 27, 2025 — World IA Day (WIAD) takes place every year on one day in locations around the world. Every year has a dedicated subject or theme, like Curiosity, A connected world, or context. This year, we want to look at how Information Architecture (IA) can be used to design meaning.
Designing for Meaning: Purpose, Experience, and Everything in Between
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.
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.
Why designing for meaning matters
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how information is created and shared. These technologies produce more content faster than ever before. But they also create challenges. How do we ensure AI-generated content has meaning? How do we design systems that remain understandable when machines are part of the process? What does it mean to be the human in the loop?
Information architects can help solve these challenges. We understand how to create structure that supports meaning. We know how to organize information so it makes sense to people. We can design systems that are ethical, inclusive, and transparent.
The difference between a frustrating search and a satisfying discovery. Between feeling lost in information and feeling guided toward understanding. Between data that overwhelms and knowledge that empowers. These experiential outcomes are what we design for when we design for meaning.
How is meaning relevant to information architecture?
This theme can include diverse perspectives and applications:
Designing for meaning with AI: How do we intentionally structure AI-integrated systems to create meaningful experiences?
Understanding different cultures: How do different communities organize and understand information? How can we design more inclusive systems?
Aligning purpose with practice: How do we ensure our design decisions serve clear purposes and create meaningful outcomes?
Making complexity understandable: How do we help people navigate complex information? What structures create clarity?
Building ethical systems: What responsibilities do we have as information architects? How do we design systems that are fair and transparent?
Everything in between: The daily work of connecting users, content, and context in meaningful ways.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to the people who suggested themes and community members who participated in the selection process. Special recognition to Charlley Luz and Angela Obias-Tuban whose suggestions inspired the final theme.
Visit or organize a World IA Day event!
Interested in joining us on March 7, 2026, to add to the discussion about meaning? Keep out an eye for a location near you or apply to host your own WIAD26 event.
Tags: World IA Day
About World Information Architecture Association
The World Information Architecture Association is a global community of professionals dedicated to the advancement of information architecture, a discipline devoted to the understanding of how information is structured and understood. We are committed to promoting the understanding and practice of information architecture through education, research, and collaboration.
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