To what end do we design? The heart of Information Architecture
Insights from the WIAA Workshop in Japan: Coexisting with AI and reclaiming the foundations of design
By: Soyeon Lee
9 March 2026 — The World Information Architecture Association (WIAA) hosted workshops in December 2025 to understand the rapidly evolving industry landscape and explore future directions.
The session in Japan, one of three global workshops, focused on dialogue, providing insights that are summarised in this article, while an overview of all sessions is available in a separate article.
A recap on the 2025 Future of WIAA workshopsThe original Japanese article is available here. (日本語記事はこちらを参照してください)
Challenges facing Information Architects
The ivory towering of IA
Abstract discussions have become the main focus over the gritty work on the ground, creating a gap with practical application.
The massive response to the “Little IA Summit” — held as an antithesis to these big ideas — is proof that many people are seeking IA that is useful in practice.
UI-first development without architecture
An increasing number of projects skip the foundation work and start building directly from the UI, resulting in an overflow of difficult-to-use apps and websites.
The Digital Agency’s inception during the pandemic reaffirmed IA as a structural necessity.
Background: During the pandemic, the Japanese government faced a wake-up call when its digital infrastructure proved inadequate. Many platforms were nearly unusable, making it difficult for citizens to apply for subsidies or complete essential administrative tasks.
This led to the establishment of the Digital Agency, an entity tasked with creating unified design guidelines to ensure better usability across all public services.
Difficulties in talent development
Since IA requires constant knowledge updates, education is forced to rely primarily on on-the-job training.
In Japan, there is a scarcity of approachable textbooks, and the reality is that the famous “Polar Bear Book” is a high hurdle for beginners. The industry struggles with the difficulty of nurturing young talent and a chronic shortage of mid-level professionals.
Changes brought by AI
The cannibalisation of AI and humans
We are facing external pressure to just let AI handle it during the formative stages — the very moments when humans should be deeply exploring problems and shaping ideas. It is a state where AI is stripping away the joy of human thought.
Even at the structural level, AI produces outputs that seem correct at first glance, yet many are fundamentally flawed. However, to the untrained eye, the difference is indistinguishable. By the time architectural holes are pointed out, it is often too late to turn back.
While the core tasks of an Information Architect remain beyond the reach of AI, the real danger lies in the pervasive illusion that the work has already been automated, even when it has not.
The “AI says so” bias
As everyone begins sending around quick AI-generated outputs, the opportunity for deep thought is being lost. We see an increase in copy-paste work that ignores context — what is referred to in English as “AI workslop.”
More people are also beginning to trust an AI-generated rebuttal over a human expert’s opinion. When an expert conducts a heuristic evaluation and recommends “Option B,” more people are using AI to push their own preference for “Option A,” claiming, “According to AI, your expert opinion is wrong.”
Substandard learning sources
AI learns from the vast resources of the internet, and this presents a critical challenge: the poor quality of its learning sources. If the existing data being referenced is fundamentally flawed, the accuracy of the AI’s output will naturally be compromised.
For example, the reality is that many websites currently online have abysmal accessibility support. Consequently, AI-generated answers regarding accessibility are often shallow and poorly informed.
The same holds true for the field of information architecture; when the learning sources are substandard, the intelligence they produce is equally hollow.
When AI helps: Crisis management and high-speed execution
AI is useful in emergencies — such as when a client is angry — to process vast amounts of data instantly and manage the immediate situation.
It also serves as an ally in ultra-high-speed brainstorming sessions where quantity is prioritised over quality. In these moments, AI offers practical support.
Which mindset should guide the future of information architecture?
Considering accessibility
The issue of accessibility exists as a foundation even before information design; it requires a perspective where accessibility itself impacts human rights. It is not yet fully understood that these efforts are essential for maintaining and ensuring human dignity.
Because this awareness has not yet taken root, we see a proliferation of touch-screen kiosks that many people find impossible to use. This happens because those on the design side fail to grasp the true essence of accessibility.
Once social design proceeds without this foundation, there is no easy way back. If we fail to act early, the resulting disconnect leads to a lasting social cost.
Questioning the purpose of progress
One participant shared an experience of a project that eliminated all physical touchpoints, opting instead to handle everything via the user’s smartphone.
The goal was to utilise space effectively and reduce staffing costs. However, once everything was removed, no one had an answer to the question: “Ultimately, what is it we want to achieve?”
We replace things with technology and keep stripping away devices without thinking about what comes next. People assume that if things disappear, it will be convenient and labour costs will fall — but the project charges ahead without anyone envisioning what kind of joy or happiness lies on the other side.
Creating things that last
Because the leadership of organisations changes frequently, it is difficult to implement foundational design from a long-term perspective.
However, architecture is inherently meant to be used for a long time. For this reason, the discussion emphasised a desire to re-communicate the importance of designing with the prerequisite of long-term use.
Information architecture as a philosophy
When creating something, one must not proceed while the principles or intention remain unclear. Design only truly exists when it is built upon clear philosophical foundations.
In that sense, we reached the conclusion that there is a need for education, a definitive white paper that everyone can relate to, and a place to communicate these ideas.
Participants:
Shoji Ohashi (World IA Day Tokyo organiser)
Yu Morita (World IA Day Tokyo organiser)
Yukiko Iwamoto (Information Architect)
Xander Roozen (Co-president, WIAA)
Soyeon Lee (WIAA, Facilitator)
Article was first published on Medium on 9 March 2026.
Tags: Future of WIAA
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.
Learn more at information-architecture.world
Last updated
Was this helpful?