My name is Lisa Maria Marquis, and I am an independent consultant, writer, speaker, and editor.

As an information architect and content strategist, my mission is to make it easier for people to find, understand, and act on information on the web. I specialize in:

  • Analyzing and strategizing digital content
  • Building sitemaps and navigation structures
  • Assessing and designing taxonomies
  • Systems thinking for web work

Get in touch, or read on to learn more about my work.

Approach

I design empowering user experiences.

Working with information on the web—displaying it, labeling it, connecting it, designing it—means changing that information. Every decision alters how information can be found, understood, and used, for better or for worse.

That's a tremendous amount of power to wield, and I'm vigilant about how that power impacts users. I make decisions that consider that impact first and foremost, prioritizing inclusivity, information literacy, accessibility, clarity, and systems thinking.

My goal is to build digital experiences that empower users to make informed decisions, advocate for themselves and for their communities, and change the world.

Projects

I've been an independent consultant since 2014.

My projects focus on the strategic and structural portions of website design. I facilitate collaborative workshops with client teams to set strategic direction, and create artifacts (recommendations, analyses, sitemaps, etc.) to support that direction.

I often partner with design teams and agencies, including Brain Traffic and Happy Cog. Recent clients include Adobe, MassMutual, Vectorworks, egghead.io, Carnegie Mellon University, the Posse Foundation, Gettysburg College, and the Associated Press.

Contact me to find out how we can work together.

Writing

I write books, articles, and poetry.

I am the author of Everyday Information Architecture, a practical guide to IA for designers, developers, and other web workers who want to make more intentional sitemaps and information structures.

I am the coauthor, along with Katel LeDû, of You Should Write a Book, a demystifying look at the process of pitching, drafting, editing, and marketing books—a must-read for anyone who's ever wanted to write a book. (You should!)

I write a tinyletter with brief observations about my professional (and sometimes personal) life, links to compelling journalism and media, and worthwhile causes for giving. I occasionally write articles about IA, UX, and content strategy on my blog and elsewhere.

Additionally, I write and publish poetry. My poems have appeared in Indiana Review, Pleiades, American Journal of Poetry, Crab Orchard Review, Puerto del Sol, and others. My poem "Situation Normal" won the 2019 Prism Review Contest (Issue 21).

Speaking

I've been speaking at conferences since 2013.

I love delivering talks to a crowd. In addition to local meetups and corporate events, I have spoken at conferences such as:

  • Confab Central
  • Design & Content Conference
  • World IA Day
  • Confab Higher Ed
  • Content Strategy Summit
  • Web Design Day
  • BlendConf
  • MIMA Summit

I am an energizing and approachable speaker (perfect for those first-thing-in-the-morning or right-after-lunchtime slots). I consistently receive high satisfaction scores on audience surveys, and enjoy the opportunity to teach (and learn from!) new crowds.

Editing

Developmental editing is just information architecture for books.

I’m the managing editor for A Book Apart, a publisher of brief books for web designers, developers, and other UX professionals. In addition to setting and overseeing editorial standards, I work closely with every author in the developmental editing stage to guide the conceptual flow and narrative structure of their books.

Recent titles I’ve worked on include: