What do you do if your Information Architect is not effectively collaborating with the UX team?

I would start by meeting with the entire team to review project goals, processes, resources, and deadlines. I would then ask each member if anybody foresaw any problems or reasons they would miss deadlines for their respective responsibilities since they are all interdependent. This way, they all understand the whole process and the importance of their piece. If there continues to be a problem, I will meet with the individual team member who is causing the delay to determine what's wrong and if they need help.

Sometimes we miss the steps of Form, Norm, and Perform. Teams that are aligned on the goals find a way to solve challenges collaboratively. Do not underestimate the power of culture. 1. Share the vision 2. Provide space for dialogue and collaboration 3. Provide clarity on roadmap, deliverables, and ownership 4. Set up review cadence and provide psychological safety for teams to share their critique in a constructive way 5. Monitor progress and create learning loops with the teams Information architecture is a systems design work; UX/UI is how the user experiences things. Both are incredibly valuable, and developing a respectful and learning mindset in both disciplines will provide effective outcomes.

If more mainstream methods like process refinement, skills gaps, and team architectures are addressed, an interesting exercise can be a role swap on a small or hypothetical project to build cross-role empathy.

Let us assume that there are no personal issues or department animosities and both parties are in principle seeing the value of working with each other closely as the intelligent professionals that they are. Then the specific situation of the Solution Architect not collaborating with the UX team might point to a conflict of interest between those two where a collaboration is difficult due to previous circumstances like: * Departments were not able to align on scope, available budget or technical dependencies. * One department was given free reign to define upfront on their own with the other being expected to blindly follow. * Client is already sold on either UX or technical approach and no change is possible.

Sometimes the problem arises upstream from where it surfaces and becomes visible. Then your efforts to cure the problem can be challenging indeed. Then your test plan will appear to be failing when it's really not. Good luck!

If the challenge stems from a gap in understanding, hosting a casual orientation session where both the IA and UX teams can exchange insights on processes and expectations is a great initial step.

Remote teams, with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, face communication challenges. Sensitivity and empathy are crucial to overcome misunderstandings. Leaders must set clear expectations, foster inclusivity, and provide support. Trust is key, built through transparent communication and reliability. Conflict resolution skills are essential for constructive dialogue and mutual solutions. By embracing diversity and leveraging technology, remote teams can succeed with synergy.

If the problem is determined to be a lack of subject understanding, having something like a friendly orientation presentation where the IA and UX share their knowledge of processes and expectations is an excellent start. Structure is incredibly important. Ideally a impartial facilitator who is trusted by all parties leads and guides the discussion and keeps it on topic and focused on problem solving and avoiding judgement and attacks. Have a prepared list of challenges and encourage everyone to come up with realistic approaches to addressing them.

When team members gain insights into each other's roles and skill sets, they can develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for their colleague's contributions. This can lead to improved collaboration and a stronger sense of teamwork overall.

One option could be to implement regular cross-functional team meetings where members from both the IA and UX teams come together to discuss ongoing projects, share ideas and address any collaboration issues that arise.

Altering team composition formally is one option to adjusting processes. Another option is informal team swap. Take one of the UX members and embed them in the IA team for a short period of time —?have them attend group meetings and have them collaborate with an IA on a feature. Or take the IA and have them sit in on some group UX meetings and collaborate with a UX designer on developing and interface so they can see the steps needed to translate requirements into a design. Hopefully each team will get a better understanding of how the other team works and what their motivations or habits are.

if the information architect is delivering competent wireframes that are easy to understand by the UX/design team as well as the programmers, then the issue is perhaps poor project management.

In most of the org, its the responsibility of UX designer to craft the IA. Here are the additional things to be considered - Address any cultural barriers or structural issues that may be impeding effective teamwork. - Seek support from team leaders or management to reinforce the importance of collaboration and provide resources or incentives to facilitate improved teamwork. - Work with PM to encourage a culture of learning and adaptation to ensure that collaboration practices evolve over time to meet changing needs and challenges

It would be important to understand in which way or ways the IA is perceived as ineffective and start there. If they are autocratic that’s one thing; if their communication is unclear that’s another; if their communication timing is poor that’s another; if their solutions go beyond the desired requirements in a left field kind of way (versus enhancing or innovativing) that’s another; etc.