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Peter Merholz March 14, 2001 Yesterday, March 13, was planned as a day of celebration. Adaptive Path had put together a launch party for the closing night of SXSW Interactive--it was at SXSW that many of our friendships solidified, so it was fitting to acknowledge the formation of our new enterprise among what consider our tribe. Yesterday morning, though, I received sad news. Argus Associates shuttered its consulting business. The entire staff was laid off. The market downturn proved too costly. The news felt like an emotional sucker punch. I feel winded, and a little choked up, when I think about it. Mostly, I empathize with the frustration that Lou and Peter and their amazingly talented consultants must feel--knowing that they were doing smart, good, and important work, work that was having an impact beyond their company and their clients, but to a burgeoning community of like-minded souls, folks dedicated to improving the experience we have of navigating the rough seas of information overload. I met first got in touch with Peter and Lou in 1996. I had recently returned to San Francisco, and found myself researching navigation design for an article titled "Approaching the Perfect Interface" to be published by the Net magazine. Their "Web Architect" column was among the only writing around on the subject, and so I picked up the phone and interviewed them. 5 years later, I've had the fortune of getting to know them both personally and professionally. Through the IA2000 conference and visits to Ann Arbor, I've also met many others on the Argus team. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more friendly, talented, and enthusiastic bunch of folks. And it is to them I am writing now. At this moment, you're likely in a state of shock, anger, depression. The worst feeling is that all that work has gone for naught. Well, fight that feeling. Argus and its employees have left an amazing legacy. There are the obvious examples of the polar bear book and the web architect columns, and the efforts of the ACIA in publishing and conferences. But less tangible are the discussions had on mailing lists, in hallways at conferences, over lunch at various companies. How you educated a bunch of self-important Web geeks that the rich history of library and information science has tons to offer. And the impact you had on your clients--through your efforts you demonstrated to many the importance of a thoughtful information architecture. Those folks now know that "IA" isn't a line item that can be simply crossed out on a spreadsheet. They understand it's an essential element of success in developing a robust system. And they're telling their colleagues the same. So while during this market hiccup (or maybe it's a belch), it might seem that you stood behind a lost cause, let me tell you that it's not true. That the work you did, both tangible and ephemeral, lives on. And that you will reap the benefits of your efforts. If I hear of Argonauts visiting the Bay Area, and they don't let me buy them a drink, I'll be most upset. You know where to find me.
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