Speaker Bio

Thom Haller

Thom Haller—teacher, speaker, writer, and user advocate—teaches principles of performance-based information architecture and usability. He has 20 years experience working with the Federal Government and, since 1998, has taught classes on architecting usable Web/Intranet sites.

As a teacher, Thom enables students to structure information so people can find it, use it, and appreciate the experience. He was among the first practitioners to offer coursework in the field of information architecture and user experience design (1998) and brings this "user-focus" into all his coursework (including classes at University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University).

Thom’s article, "Information Architecture Success Story: The development of www.plainlanguage.gov," is among the top ten most frequently downloaded ASIS&T Bulletin articles (according to Stacy Surla, a member of the Bulletin’s editorial board).

Thom is a noted facilitator and speaker. He has developed and run facilitator-led workshops for Federal agencies, associations, and corporations. As a speaker, he has presented keynote addresses to the Society of Technical Communication, Federal Web Content Managers, the Association of Professional Communication Consultants, IEEE’s Professional Communication Society, and others. He is a frequent speaker at Web content conferences.

As a consultant, Thom creates the context for change in complex organizations. He explains fundamentals of information structure and provides diagnostic tools for learning more about the users’ experience. He is the author of three instructional texts for helping people structure information with the user in mind.

Thom serves as executive director for the Center for Plain Language. In this capacity he enrolls others in a mission to increase the usefulness and efficiency of government, legal, and business documents.