Iain Barker of Step Two Designs does a great job at an overview of the discipline / practice of Information Architecture.

It’s the type of thing I’ve always wanted to author for my Services section, but just never find the time.

For you “bottom-line business types”, here’s Iain’s summary:

It simply isn’t good enough for organisations to build functionality or write content, put it on their computer systems and expect people to be able to find it.

Developing an effective information architecture is an essential step in the development of all computer systems.

Effective information architectures enable people to quickly, easily and intuitively find content. This avoids frustration and increases the chance that the user will return to the system the next time they require similar information.

Remember: people can only appreciate what they can actually find.