Special guests at the conference

He has been working in the field of information architecture since 1994 – as CEO of Argus Associates, he built a company that has become one of the most respected information architecture firms in the world. Since 2001, he has run the consulting agency Semantic Studios. He gained his experience working with industry giants such as Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, IBM, Ernst & Young, Cisco and many, many others.

He is the author of best-selling books such as “Information Architecture in Websites” and “Search Patterns: Designing Modern Search Engines”. His publications are considered essential reading for any professional information architect. They have been featured in major business media outlets such as Business Week, The Economist, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

He has spoken at conferences around the world, sharing his knowledge. He also blogs on the website intertwingled.com, where he shares his life experiences. When he is not working on information architecture, he volunteers at an animal shelter.

Kryspian Emert – a user experience designer, researcher and consultant specialising in information architecture, navigation design and the creation of clear, understandable content structures. In her work, she combines the perspectives of UX, content design and information strategy, focusing on how users find, interpret and use information in complex digital environments.

On her website, she showcases projects in which the organisation of knowledge, the design of navigation systems, content mapping and the creation of data models that support the consistency and scalability of websites play a key role. She is particularly interested in how the structure of information influences users’ decisions, their sense of orientation and the effectiveness of their interactions.

Her work demonstrates a consistent approach to clarity, accessibility and semantic logic, as well as a commitment to ensuring that the solutions she designs are not only aesthetically pleasing but, above all, cognitively light and support users in achieving their goals.

Associated with information architecture since 1999. Co-founder of the Italian information architecture association Architecta. Editor-in-chief and co-founder of the scientific thematic journal “Journal of Information Architecture”. Co-author of the book ‘Pervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User Experiences’.

In 2008, he created REG-iA, an international initiative for information architecture professionals. At the moment, REG-iA includes professionals from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Poland. Its aim is to promote information architecture as a scientific discipline.

He has presented at many international thematic conferences, including MobileTech, ER&L, UX Poland, BITA, ENWI, Interact London, World IA Day, Italian IA Summit and many others. He is currently a senior lecturer at the International Business School in Jönköping (Sweden). After hours he is passionate about Tolkien, video games and the history of WWII submarine warfare.

Eric Reiss has had a wide range of eclectic roles, including: pianist (at a disreputable establishment), senior copywriter (at a disreputable advertising agency), pianist and piano tuner, adventure game designer and film director. His experiences have served him well as a designer, content strategist, information architect, interaction designer and ‘expert’ in usability – although he cannot quite explain how.

In more mundane terms, Eric has served twice as president of the Information Architecture Institute and as a professor of usability and design at IE Business School in Madrid. Today, Eric is the CEO of FatDUX Group in Copenhagen, a leading UX firm with offices and collaborators in over a dozen cities worldwide. He has also authored several books, including the bestseller Usability, which is now available in five languages. You can find him on Twitter at @elreiss.

Abby Covert is an information architect, writer and community organizer. Abby served as President of IA Institute, co-chair of IA Summit, and Executive Producer of IDEA. She is a founding faculty member of SVA’s Products of Design program, Design Operations Summit and Advancing Research Conference. She invented World IA Day, bringing IA education to thousands in local communities annually. Abby wrote “How to Make Sense of Any Mess” a book teaching IA to everybody. She is currently working on a new book about diagramming.

A Cultural Studies specialist, he founded and for many years ran Medialab Katowice, and currently works as a data scientist and programmer at a startup specializing in deep learning and computer vision analysis., he founded and for many years ran Medialab Katowice and currently works as a data scientist and programmer at a startup specializing in deep learning and computer vision analysis. He carried out interdisciplinary research projects related to data analysis and visualization, e.g. within the platform Shared Cities: Creative Momentum diagnosing transformations in Central Europe.

He has published Data-Driven Methods for City Exploration and Discovery (2015) and Data Culture. Algorithms that amplify attention (2017). He is currently working with the University of Silesia and the Metropolitan Institute in Bratislava, among others.

Jorge Arango for the past three decades he has been helping to create readable, understandable, and friendly information spaces working with a wide range of clients: from non-profit organisations to Fortune 500 companies. Author of books: “Duly Noted: Extend Your Mind Through Connected Notes”, “Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places,” and co-author of the bestseller published in Poland, “Information Architecture: for the Web and Beyond.” Jorge Arango is also the host of the podcast “The Informed Life” and a lecturer at the Graduate Programme in Interaction Design at the California College of the Arts.

Heather Hedden  has been working in the field of taxonomies and information management for over 28 years. Ms. Hedden is currently a Senior Consultant (Taxonomy/Ontology) with the consulting firm Enterprise Knowledge and previously consulted independently through Hedden Information Management and worked in taxonomy roles at Semantic Web Company, Cengage Group, Project Performance Corp., First Wind, and Viziant. She also gives workshops on taxonomy creation through different organizations, at conferences, and as corporate and independent training. Ms. Hedden has written articles for many publications and is author of the book The Accidental Taxonomist, 3rd edition.

dr hab. prof. AGH Joanna Jaworek-Korjakowska – director of the Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence and Deputy Head of the Department of Automation and Robotics at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. In 2019, she received her habilitation in technical sciences with an emphasis on artificial intelligence. Prof. Joanna Jaworek-Korjakowska’s scientific and research interests focus on image processing and analysis, data mining, and relate to artificial intelligence, particularly deep learning methods and machine learning solutions. Prof. Jaworek-Korjakowska is an expert of the Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe (CLAIRE), a member of the IEEE, the Polish Society for Artificial Intelligence and the International Dermoscopy Society, and a graduate of the TOP 500 Innovator program at Stanford University in the USA. She is author and co-author more than 70 publications with an IF of 24, and has participated in many national and international research projects (including EPSRC, FAST Healthcare Network Plus, DAAD, National Institutes of Health and NAWA Spinaker, Bekker).

Anna Pietruszka – a leader in technology change and sustainability transformation, as well as an expert in the implementation of business models based on hybrid and artificial intelligence. Mentor and speaker at many industry events. Anna Pietruszka is the co-founder of Exfluency™ – a provider of blockchain-based software for data anonymization dedicated to processes based on hybrid intelligence model, she is also the owner of Business Model Shaping, an IT consulting company for reorganizing business models based on AI . Since January 2024, she has been a member of the Artificial Intelligence Technical Committee leading European cooperation with CEN/CLC/JTC 21 Artificial Intelligence and the international subcommittee ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 AI.

After running boutique design firm EightShapes for 18 years, Dan struck out on his own, starting Curious Squid Design Lab to continue providing high quality information architecture and UX consulting to enterprise organizations. Through Curious Squid, Dan helps product teams build complex products to align with user needs while meeting business objectives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he produced the podcast A Lens A Day, conversations about information architecture, and currently co-hosts and produces the podcast Unchecked, the architecture of disinformation.

Dan’s passion for information architecture is eclipsed only by his passion for board games.

At the AIDA 5 conference, Dan Brown will give a talk entitled “The Architecture of Disinformation”.

Jasiek Krzysztofiak is an information designer and works as an art editor for the scientific journal Nature in London. Together with a team of designers in the editorial art department, he is responsible for communicating complex scientific issues visually in a coherent and engaging manner, using diagrams, data visualisations, infographics and illustrations. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and subsequently undertook postgraduate studies in Information Design at the University of Reading.

A graduate of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, Faculty of Management. Since 2010, she has served as head of the Małopolska Regional Research Centre at the Statistical Office in Kraków, and since 2011 she has been an in-house trainer at the Central Statistical Office. She regularly delivers guest lectures on public statistics databases at universities across the Małopolska Province. She is a frequent speaker at conferences organised by public institutions, including the Provincial Labour Office in Kraków, Kraków City Council and universities throughout the country.