How to Make Sense of Any Mess

by Abby Covert

Everything is getting more complex. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of information we encounter each day. Whether at work, at school, or in our personal endeavors, there’s a deepening (and inescapable) need for people to work with and understand information. Information architecture is the way that we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable as a whole. When we make things for others to use, the architecture of information that we choose greatly affects our ability to deliver our intended message to our users. We all face messes made of information and people. I define the word “mess” the same way that most dictionaries do: “A situation where the interactions between people and information are confusing or full of difficulties.” — Who doesn’t bump up against messes made of information and people every day? This book provides a seven step process for making sense of any mess. Each chapter contains a set of lessons as well as workbook exercises architected to help you to work through your own mess.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Business, Technology, Reference, Psychology, Writing

180 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[Peter Morville · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a brilliant introduction to information architecture. It's short and easy to read but covers all the bases. It will make sense and prove valuable to anyone who messes with information. In other words, Abby really has written a book for everybody.

[Julia Kulgavchuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a mess. It's not a book really; I'd call it a pamphlet.

The text gives basic common sense-level knowledge about sorting out "messes". Now this doesn't sound that bad. The book explores some important points, such as "Start with why", "Who matters", "What before how". These considerations are indispensable for information architecture work and design-related work of any kind. Unfortunately the book is in a severe shortage of substance. These points need to be really well understood, accepted, internalized. If a book can help to get there, it's fantastic. Not this book though. It repeats overly generalized points in page-long shallow chapters, but adds no substance and doesn't do anything to turn them into knowledge. A header often says it all.

One good thing is a list of 10 types of diagrams. Then again, not that it's hard to find it elsewere.

The language is extremely simplified on purpose, as it is "a book about information architecture for everybody." The simplified definitions are good and it never harms to repeat them. It also makes for the blandest read ever.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to this book with very high expectations after I heard it called the "Don't Make Me Think" of Information Architecture. Sadly, it didn't live up to that hype. In the hands of a good teacher I have no doubt this would be an excellent textbook to accompany a course, but on its own it's only OK. In trying to write a succinct and versatile primer on IA for anyone, Covert has gone too far in eschewing concrete examples. Many of the self-contained page-length lessons, which would otherwise be valuable, leave it up to the reader to supply a context for the information presented and it just doesn't work a lot of the time, at least not for a true beginner. Context and concrete/visual examples are precisely what made Don't Make Me Think such a great intro text.

[Andy Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deceptively thoughtful read, written as a short and snappy layman's guide to information architecture that belies its sophistication. It serves well as a intuitive reminder of the effort and focus necessary to solve sense-making problems effectively.

Abby does a great job of reframing complex concepts in a straightforward manner and the book helps shine a light on the implicit assumptions, biases, shortcuts and oversights often inherent in the work we do when architecting information.

Oddly enough, I really didn't like this book at first. Until about a third of the way through I felt it was trying too hard to be all things to all people (Abby explicitly states the 'beginners guide' as an aim), without necessarily succeeding in avoiding example scenarios and terminology that exposes the author as a digital web professional. Judged by this criteria it may not be an absolute success. However, the latter half of the book does an impressive job of dealing with complex themes without losing the concise simplicity of the writing style.

[Attila Bujdosó · Rating 1 out of 5]

When the author says "If you rip out the content from your favorite book and throw the words on the floor, the resulting pile is not your favorite book." she is right. Unfortunately, she didn't apply this thinking to her own book.

If you throw a bunch of tweet-long ideas, comments, observations and statements into a book, the result is not a very good book. Some diagrams are good, though.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed and appreciated this book for what it was, a high altitude overview of IA, I really hoped the author would get a bit more into the details as they pertain to specific industries such as website design. Maybe a follow-up?

[Karen Mardahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for getting started with information architecture. I read it in about 100 minutes. I have the great big polar bear book ("Information Architecture for the World Wide Web"), but confess I have never gotten around to reading it. I am not an Information Architect, but I am interested in understanding information architect. Because it is not my job, I have made do with reading articles here and there over the years, but never reading that bigger book.

I regard this book as an introduction or "setting things straight" book, and as such, I feel it was great. Over the summer, I will read Andrew Hinton's "Understanding Context". That will be a much more substantial, more in-depth look at information architecture. Reading Abby Covert's book is a nice preparation for that. I can see me sharing sections of it with developers, system architects, product owners, etc. via the online version of the book (http://www.howtomakesenseofanymess.com).

The diagram section, especially the matrix diagram, is useful. I want to try the matrix diagram on a particular project I have, and I think it would be useful on some other projects in the pipeline. I have made diagrams before, but it was nice to have her top 10 styles laid out like this for comparison. It gave them more context.

I really like the language section in Chapter 4: Choose a Direction. This is stuff I do know, but I like the way she presented the information. To use her own words, "language matters". I could see me using this to explain some of my work to people not in my field (technical communication). I feel I get tongue-tied (annoying when you are a communicator!!) when people question something I do and the question is unexpected or new to me. Abby Covert has a few chapters that can get my words in order once more. :)

I finished reading the book, but I will re-visit it again. There are some exercises at the end of each chapter. I did not do them while reading. I did think about them for a bit, but I think they are good exercises (like doing scales on the piano), so they are handy to use when I need some practice.

I think this book is also a quick answer to the discussions I've (anecdotally) heard about on the internet among UX people - "are we forgetting our roots in information architecture?" Those people can grab a coffee or two and get a refresher course from this book in less than two hours.

Now I am ready to read Andrew Hinton's "Understanding Context" book over the next couple of months!

[Ivan Chernov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Хорошая начальная книжка по тому, как заниматься систематизацией информации. Здесь это подаётся как информационная архитектура, но для меня выглядит как построение онтологий или введение к системному мышлению. При этом учёт субъективных точек зрения не идёт, и в книге описываются только приёмы по описанию происходящих процессов.

[Luci Riestra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introduction to Information Architecture, with simple advice on how to process and organise a complex topic. With templates to guide you and some examples, it's easy to follow and to read, and most of the times it feels all common sense, but the one that is not so evident to apply.
I think a good way to make the most of this book is to take an example of some "mess" of yours and try to apply as you read the steps. Else, it makes a collection of good-to-know recommendations on defining intent, structure drawing, concepts definition, measuring... That stays very conceptual.

[Avaricce · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book filled with such generic advice that it's applicable to (almost) anything. Which makes it fantastic and disappointing at the same time; disappointing if you were hoping for a "magical" solution, or expected some hard, precise, specific instructions when you picked it up.

There's no magic, but then again, it's not that complicated either - just answer a bunch of questions about yourself/your work/whatever problem you're facing, and you'll solve it in no time...right? Right?

Still, some really good quotes in there. And depending on your current state of mind, parts of it might actually motivate you to finally tackle that one thing you've been putting off for too long.

[Omar Mizdaq · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 and a half stars. Too vague to be much use when read alone as an introduction to IA. The only scenario I can envision in which this would have much value would be as a design book club choice. I'm sure that in the hands of experienced designers, the abstract, nebulous one-page lessons that comprise the content would serve as jumping off points for many an enlightening discussion. As it stands, though, the lack of concrete examples (beyond facile references to supermarkets etc) mean that you'll likely turn the final page having gained little of practical benefit.

[Carlos Alonso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una introducción elegante y abierta sobre el concepto de arquitectura de información. El libro ofrece una metodología y una serie de lecciones aplicables a cualquier contexto en el que necesitemos organizar información para que otras personas puedan acceder a ella y tomar las acciones oportunas.

Si te estás iniciando en arquitectura de información o quieres tener un conocimiento básico de la materia es un libro muy recomendable como punto de partida.

[Darryl Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style of this book is fascinating. The ideas are presented briefly and succinctly, almost as if it was written for a child, and yet without condescension. As the book goes on the ideas start to resolve into something far larger than the opening sections would have suggested. It’s big ideas about information architecture presented in bite sized pieces.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

In trying to be general enough to be useful in a variety of settings and situations, this may be too general. It doesn't mean much just reading it straight through. But, it's designed as sort of a workbook, and there are some very useful questions and patterns of thinking. I don't think I'll know how useful it is until I apply it to a particular problem and see how well it serves me.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book. Possibly my second favorite professional book of the year (after Brave New Work). Essential for anyone doing knowledge work, solving problems, or spending time in new territory. Extremely readable and well-designed, perfect for always being on my desk.

[Jordan Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honesty, this could have been a long form blog post, but never the less an informative read.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen libro para empezar a aprender a estructurar un proyecto, saber qué elementos se deben de tomar en cuenta tanto del producto como de stakeholders, limitaciones, tiempos, etc.

Brinda un panorama amplio que se puede complementar muy bien con un curso básico de Arquitectura de la Información.

[Bindu Upadhyay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone dealing with mess and chaos. Well which organisation isn't? 😀
The advice can be applied to information structuring as well.

[Felipe Appio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Através de um formato nem “for dummies”, é possível fazer uma leitura bem rápida e produtiva. Abby vai direto ao ponto, com perguntas e questionamentos importantes, que vão além do público alvo (designers). Eu diria que muitos questionamentos servem para a carreira da maioria das pessoas, de um modo geral.

Alem disso, são apresentados alguns conceitos e técnicas bastante importantes e abrangentes para lidar com ambiguidade.

Recomendo essa leitura para qualquer pessoa que gosta de um formato bem straightforward, e que precisa lidar com situações/informações ambíguas, desorganizadas e por aí vai.

Para mim, além da reflexões, aprendi algumas técnicas que pretendo aplicar no meu dia a dia (trabalho).

[Marcin Zaremba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meta-książka. Żywy przykład na stosowanie rekomendacji wymienionych w niej samej.

Każda strona to mikro-felieton bądź mikro-definicja związana ze sposobami na opanowanie chaosu przez stosowanie zasad architektury informacji.

Całość jest przyjazną sekwencją idąc od najważniejszych, wręcz aksjomatycznych pojęć (różnica między informacją, daną a wiedzą) i przechodzi płynnie do struktur oraz taksonomii a kończy na roli biznesowej architektury informacji.

To nie jest książka, którą odkłada się na półkę po przeczytaniu. Warto ją mieć zawsze blisko, gdy zwątpisz czy wiesz co robisz (jeśli projektujesz coś skomplikowanego)

[Matthew Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good bits of advice in here about things to think about when you're trying to convey information but oddly enough, for a book on information architecture, it seemed a bit random.

I felt like I didn't quite grasp a process or a system to use so much as a few principles. (And some examples of tables and charts which was useful.)

Ultimately, a book I wanted to like more than I actually did.

[Omar J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and succinct read on thought processes around designing an Information Architecture. Abby Covert keeps the language simple and tries to keep the topics generic enough so it can be applied to all disciplines. As an experienced designer, it was a helpful reminder of the fundamentals but it felt a bit too dumbed-down. I think it’s geared for beginners but if that’s the case, it’s too generic and lacks thoughtful examples to help a beginner frame these principles.

[Christophe Addinquy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if it makes sense, but the book is somehow messy. The very high level thougths as they are exposed may give something to think about, but miss the practical dimension. Probably this very short text doesn't address the beginner, therefore I had hard time to appreciate it.
Ma note de lecture en Français ici

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so useful as a thought exercise but tough as a practical workbook for approaching information architecture for documentation. Because it lacks specificity, it’s on the reader to take the high-level questions and really sit with them. Not for the faint of heart, but a great read when sitting in the midst of many challenging messes. I took more notes as the book progressed and got slightly more concrete.

[Carolina Bento · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to Information Architecture.
It's a very concise and straight-forward book, focusing on a handful of core topics.
Each topic's examples are were simple and yet were very powerful to summarise the underlying idea of the topic/chapter.
I'm looking forward to explore some of the recommended books from the "Further Reading" section.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for anyone who organizes things and/or works on the web. I was initially disappointed by what felt like a lack of concrete examples, but the carefully crafted thought process and lessons on each page won me over. I would love to read more by this author.

[Stacy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for the format, which was basically like a collection of 100 one minute elevator pitches. It made for a quick read, but it lacks substance and depth. I guess that was kind of the point, but I didn't get as much out of it as I'd hoped to.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome and super helpful! Abby Covert, has done some great work explaining how to organize systems and information in a simple and precise way. Best quote in the book: " Perfection isn't possible, but progress is." I'll be repeating that one 'til I'm dead.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

I had to read this book for my Information Architecture course and it is by far my favorite book we have read up to this point.

This is a great first resource for learning about Information Architecture and the information provided is wide enough to be applicable to many situations outside of official information science areas. If you need to make sense of a mess in your life and/or profession, this is the book to find out how.

Covert writes in a way that is simple, informational, and, dare I say, fun. It is easy to see what she is talking about. One thing that I really enjoyed is that she practices what she preaches, so to speak, in providing clear definitions paired with examples that are easy to relate to. In some of my other class readings, the examples are so tech-heavy that I kind of get lost in them. Covert instead ops for more generalized examples such as putting away groceries, examining school grades, and tweeting while watching TV.

The book is broken down into seven sections that act as procedural steps to addressing your mess. Each chapter contains page-long lessons that are easy to digest, as well as scenarios that apply the principles and worksheets to help the reader do the same.

I also loved the indexed lexicon at the back of the book that combines an index and a glossary, making information even easier to find.

This was a great book and I honestly think I would enjoy it even if I didn't have to read it for class. The simple cover is a great representation of the information inside. It is clean and simple. Covert does her best to abstract a lot of information without overwhelming the reader, and I for one think it was a great success. She applies the principles she teaches to create a book that is helpful, useful, and interesting.

[anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will help you do two things:

1. Understand how to break a big hairy problem into smaller steps so that you can approach solving it.
2. Understand some approaches to solving it.

It will give you examples of various activities, tools (i.e. worksheets) and things to understand about problems. It'll do this one page at a time, which is to say each of the 150ish pages covers exactly one topic, and covers it well enough that you'll know how to move forward to the next topic. It also gives references and resources to places that you can learn more, because let's face it, 150 topics is a few too many for anyone to cover in depth in one book. Many of the topics in this book are topics of their own.

But that's really the point of this book beyond all the others: it's the book to help you find the path through the mess you're dealing with, and help you identify what you need to know more about. It's the solution to the "I don't know what I don't know" problem, at the highest level.

It's immediately on my recommendation list for all new Information Architects, User Experience Designers, and a good number of others that are both inside the Information Technology field and outside of it. This book is well-written enough that I feel like I could hand it to someone in a totally different industry and say "Hey, here's where to start" or "Hey, if you've ever wondered what I do for a living..."

I'm glad it's a tool I can now use to make my own work better.