I LOVE MAKING SENSE OF MESSES. Thinking about INFORMATION as a - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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I LOVE MAKING SENSE OF MESSES. Thinking about INFORMATION as a - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jan 16, 2023 232 likes •653 views

I LOVE MAKING SENSE OF MESSES. Thinking about INFORMATION as a material is hard Information can be made from the lack of physical material Information Content Content Context Information architecture is how we arrange the parts to be

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I LOVE MAKING SENSE OF MESSES.

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Thinking about

INFORMATION

as a material is hard

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Information can be made from the lack

  • f physical material
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Context

Content

Information ≠ Content

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Information architecture

is how we arrange the parts to be understandable as a whole.

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3 LESSONS

TO MAKE SENSE OF MESS

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#1 LANGUAGE MATTERS

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Apple Dump truck

Jargon

Banana ??!?!

Word

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How many duplicative nouns does your team deal with?

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How many duplicative verbs are related to those nouns?

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Model Change vs. Label Change

Thing A Thing B Thing OBJECT Object

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One label per noun or verb

is not always the best way to go

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The goal is not simplifying

The goal is to know what you mean when you say what you say.

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Controlled vocabularies are the greatest thing since sliced bread or pockets.

@jcolman’s thumb showing off my book’s controlled vocabulary

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Experiences are made of language.

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Simplify the language in your organisation.

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#2 THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY

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In most contexts, taxonomy is a tool

  • f rhetoric not an

exact science.

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If Fresh Direct classified produce scientifically, no one would be able to find anything.

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The way you choose to organise your produce says something about you.

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There is no one right way to organise something.

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The only thing that matters is reaching your goals.

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Show an alternative way of

  • rganising things.
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#3 WE NEED PICTURES

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Pictures give us something in common to point to.

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Take the time and space needed to collect and iterate.

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Visualise something hard to explain

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Inspire Realistic, Not Simplistic Thinking

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Pie Crust Tomato Sauce & cheese Toppings Slice

Be Careful of Reductionism

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Show the process, not just results

Pizza Crust cheese Toppings Tomato Sauce

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Familiar Words

With agreement comes momentum.

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Make a picture of the monster in everyone’s head.

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  • Simplify the language used in your organisation
  • Show an alternative way of organising things
  • Make a picture of the monster in everyone’s head

To start making sense of your mess:

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IA is not just for information architects. IA is practiced by everybody.

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I wrote a book about information architecture for everybody!

http://abbytheia.com/makesense/

Cheers!