Identify the Mess
- Location 32
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Messes are made of information and people.
- Location 33
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A mess is any situation where something is confusing or full of difficulty. We all encounter messes.
- Location 33
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It's hard to shine a light on the messes we face.
- Location 39
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sensemakers
- Location 44
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- [note::I think the term 'sense-maker' or 'mess-tamer' jives with my identity i.e. "My name is Quinn and I'm a sense-maker"]

Information architecture is all around you.
- Location 45
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Information architecture is the way that we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable.
- Location 46
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Here are some examples of information architecture: Alphabetical cross-referencing systems used in a dictionary or encyclopedia Links in website navigation Sections, labels, and names of things on a restaurant menu Categories, labels and tasks used in a software program or application The signs that direct travelers in an airport
- Location 47
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Things may change; the messes stay the same.
- Location 52
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there aren't that many causes for confusing information. Too much information Not enough information Not the right information Some combination of these (eek!)
- Location 56
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- [note::i.e. "Why we get confused"]

People architect information.
- Location 60
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We're no longer on the shore watching the information age approach; we're up to our hips in it.
- Location 64
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- [note::Quotable]

Every thing is complex.
- Location 67
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Here are three complexities you may encounter: A common complexity is lacking a clear direction or agreeing on how to approach something you are working on with others. It can be complex to create, change, access, and maintain useful connections between people and systems, but these connections make it possible for us to communicate. People perceive what's going on around them in different ways. Differing interpretations can make a mess complex to work through.
- Location 69
- information science, information architecture, communication, management, organisational design, project management, complexity, 1todo anki,
- [note::Complexity can be deconstructed into:

1. Complexity of direction - Lacking a clear direction/shared understanding about how something should be approached
2. Complexity of connections - Challenges related to creating, changing, accessing, and maintaining connections between systems and people
3. Complexity of interpretation - Challenges related to the different ways people perceive and understand the things around them]

Knowledge is complex.
- Location 74
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Every thing has information.
- Location 82
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every mess and every thing shares one important non-thing:information.
- Location 89
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What's information?
- Location 90
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The most important thing I can teach you about information is that it isn't a thing. It's subjective, not objective. It's whatever a user interprets from the arrangement or sequence of things they encounter.
- Location 92
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While we can arrange things with the intent to communicate certain information, we can't actually make information. Our users do that for us.
- Location 98
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Information is not data or content.
- Location 100
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Data is facts, observations, and questions about something. Content can be cookies, words, documents, images, videos, or whatever you're arranging or sequencing.
- Location 100
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the absence of content or data can be just as informing as the presence.
- Location 102
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For example, if we ask two people why there is an empty spot on a grocery store shelf, one person might interpret the spot to mean that a product is sold-out, and the other might interpret it as being popular. The jars, the jam, the price tags, and the shelf are the content. The detailed observations each person makes about these things are data. What each person encountering that shelf believes to be true about the empty spot is the information.
- Location 103
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- [note::Things -> Content
Observations -> Data
Beliefs/Conclusions -> Information]

both the architecture and the content determine how you interpret and use the resulting information.
- Location 112
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Users are complex.
- Location 115
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We're full of contradictions. We're known to exhibit strange behaviors. From how we use mobile phones to how we traverse grocery stores, none of us are exactly the same. We don't know why we do what we do. We don't really know why we like what we like, but we do know it when we see it. We're fickle. We expect things to be digital, but also, in many cases, physical. We want things to feel auto-magic while retaining a human touch. We want to be safe, but not spied on. We use words at our whim.
- Location 118
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Stakeholders are complex.
- Location 124
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Working together is difficult when stakeholders see the world differently than we do.
- Location 128
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- [note::Thus, the importance of trust-building and clear communication]

To do is to know.
- Location 132
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Knowing is not enough. Knowing too much can encourage us to procrastinate. There's a certain point when continuing to know at the expense of doing allows the mess to grow further.
- Location 133
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Meet Carl.
- Location 141
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To help Carl identify his mess, we could start by asking questions about its edges and depths: Who are his users and what does he know about them already? How could he find out more? Who are the stakeholders and what does he know about what they are expecting? How does he want people to interpret the work? What content would help that interpretation? What might distract from that interpretation?
- Location 145
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- [note::Good questions to ask before dealing with whatever mess/project you're taking on.]

It's your turn.
- Location 150
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To start to identify the mess you're facing, work through these questions: Users: Who are your intended users? What do you know about them? How can you get to know them better? How might they describe this mess? Stakeholders: Who are your stakeholders? What are their expectations? What are their thoughts about this mess? How might they describe it? Information: What interpretations are you dealing with? What information is being created through a lack of data or content? Current state: Are you dealing with too much information, not enough information, not the right information, or a combination of these?
- Location 153
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- [note::Good questions to ask before dealing with whatever mess/project you're taking on.]

State your Intent
- Location 161
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Intent is language.
- Location 162
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For every word we use to describe where we want to go, there's another word that we're walking away from. For every amusement park you make, you're not making a video game. When you intend to be fun for kids, you can use stories but not metaphors. If you want something to be relaxing, it's harder to make it educational. The words we choose matter. They represent the ideas we want to bring into the world.
- Location 164
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What is good?
- Location 170
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Language is any system of communication that exists to establish shared meaning.
- Location 171
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one term can mean something in situation A and something different in situation B. We call this a homograph. For example, the word pool can mean a swimming pool, shooting pool, or a betting pool.
- Location 172
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- [note::Homograph - A term that can have more than one meaning, depending on the context]

What we intend to do determines how we define words like good and bad.
- Location 179
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- [note::In other words, "our goals and interests affect how positive or negative we perceive something to be"]

Good is in the eye of the beholder.
- Location 180
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When we don't define what good means for our stakeholders and users, we aren't using language to our advantage. Without a clear understanding of what is good, bad can come out of nowhere.
- Location 182
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- [note::Need to define what "good" and "bad" means in the eye of the stakeholder]

Every decision you make should support what you've defined as good: from the words you choose to the tasks you enable, and everything in between. When you're making decisions, balance what your stakeholders and users expect of you, along with what they believe to be good.
- Location 185
- stakeholder engagement, requirements engineering,
- [note::What matters is not what YOU believe to be good, but what your stakeholders believe to be good. Sometimes, you can persuade them to your vision, but sometimes you have to accept what their vision is.]

Looking good versus being good.
- Location 187
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When making things, we should aim to give equal attention to looking good and being good. If either side of that duality fails, the whole suffers.
- Location 189
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Meaning can get lost in translation.
- Location 195
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Who matters?
- Location 202
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The meaning we intend to communicate doesn't matter if it makes no sense, or the wrong sense, to the people we want to reach.
- Location 203
- communication,

To determine who matters, ask these questions: Who's most important to get agreement from? Who's most important to serve? What words might make them defensive? What words might put them at ease? How open are they to change? How will this affect their lives? How does the current state of things look to them? Is that good or bad?
- Location 205
-
- [note::Questions for stakeholder identification]

Start with why.
- Location 210
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To start with why, ask yourself: Why does this work need to be done? Why is change needed? Why do those changes matter? Why should other people care? Why hasn't this been tackled correctly? Why will this time be different?
- Location 216
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What before how.
- Location 220
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When deciding what you're doing, ask yourself: What are you trying to change? What is your vision for the future? What is within your abilities? What do you know about the quality of what exists today? What further research will help you understand it? What has been done before? What can you learn from those experiences? What is the market and competition like? Has anyone succeeded or failed at this in the past?
- Location 224
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How varies widely.
- Location 228
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To look at your options, ask yourself: How could we communicate our message? How much time and effort will it take? How could the solution look and feel? How will this be produced? How will this be maintained? How will this be measured? How will we know if we've succeeded?
- Location 232
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Why, what, and how are deeply interrelated.
- Location 237
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Language is the material of intent.
- Location 246
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State your intent.
- Location 261
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The following exercise will help you state your intent and clarify your language with other people. First, choose a set of adjectives you want your users to use to describe what you're making. Then, choose a set of adjectives that you're okay with not being used to describe the same thing. I find these rules helpful during this exercise: When put together, each set of words should neither repeat nor disagree with each other. The second set shouldn't be a list of opposites from the first. Avoid negative adjectives, like slow or bad or ugly. Keep each word as neutral as possible. A good test is that someone shouldn't be able to tell which list is positive or negative.
- Location 262
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- [note::Could use this exercise to helps define what EA Explorer should be]

Face Reality
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By facing reality, we can find solutions.
- Location 272
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Reality involves many players.
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Reality involves many factors.
- Location 289
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No matter what you're making, you probably need to consider several of these factors: Time: "I only have _____________________." Resources: "I have _____________________." Skillset: "I know how to ________________ , but I don't know how to ______________ yet." Environment: "I'm working in a ___________." Personality: "I want this work to say _________ about me." Politics: "Others want this work to say _________________ about ____________." Ethics: "I want this work to do right by the world by __________________." Integrity: "I want to be proud of the results of my work, which means _____________."
- Location 290
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Reality happens across channels and…
- Location 297
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As users, our context is the situation we're in, including where we are, what we're trying to do, how we're feeling, and anything else that shapes our experience. Our context is always unique to us and can't be relied upon to hold steady. If I'm tweeting about a TV show while watching it, my context is "…
- Location 300
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Tweeting while watching TV is an example of two channels working together to support a single context. A single channel can also support multiple contexts. For example, a website may serve someone browsing on a phone from their couch, on a…
- Location 305
- channels, contexts,
- [note::"Channels and contexts have a many-to-many relationship"]

Reality has many…
- Location 305
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to make sense of real-world problems, you need to understand how users, channels, and context relate to each other. What channels do your users prefer? What context are they likely in when encountering what you're making? How are they feeling? Are they in a hurry? Are they on…
- Location 310
- problem solving, wicked problems, social change,

Reality doesn't always fit existing patterns. Beware of jumping into an existing solution or copying existing patterns. In my experience, too many people buy into an existing…
- Location 314
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When architecting information, focus on your own unique objectives. You can learn from and borrow from other people. But it's best to look at their decisions…
- Location 319
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Objects let us have deeper conversations…
- Location 321
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When you discuss a specific subject, you subconsciously reference part of a large internal map of what you know. Other people can't see this map. It only exists in…
- Location 322
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- [note::"Mental Model" = Large internal map of what you know. Although others cannot see this map, you can use objects (maps, diagrams, lists, etc) to help communicate it.]

Objects allow us to compare our mental models…
- Location 327
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Start with scope and…
- Location 330
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Before you make objects like diagrams or maps, spend some time determining…
- Location 331
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Scope is your clearly stated purpose for…
- Location 332
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Scale is the relative size of your…
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To think through scope and scale, ask yourself: What do people need to understand? What are the edges of the map or diagram? What are you not mapping or diagramming? Where will other people see this map or…
- Location 335
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Timescale…
- Location 339
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A timescale is a period of time your map or diagram represents. There are three main timescales: Then: How did things used to be? Now: How are things today?…
- Location 340
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As an example, if we wanted to make sense of changes to the American healthcare system over the last year, we could diagram at each of the three timescales: Then: How did healthcare work ten years ago? Now: How does healthcare work today? When: How…
- Location 344
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Reality involves many…
- Location 348
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Here are some common rhetorical reasons for making diagrams and maps: Reflection: Point to a future problem (e.g., a map of a local landfill's size in the past, present, and projected future). Options: Show something as it could be (e.g., a diagram showing paths a user could take to set up an application). Improvements: Show something as it should be (e.g., a diagram pointing out opportunities found during user research). Identification: Show something as it once was or is today…
- Location 349
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Architecture before design.
- Location 355
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Keep it tidy.
- Location 364
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People use aesthetic cues to determine how legitimate, trustworthy, and useful information is. Your job is to produce a tidy representation of what you're trying to convey without designing it too much or polishing it too early in the process.
- Location 366
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As you make your diagram, keep your stakeholders in mind. Will they understand it? Will anything distract them? Crooked lines, misspellings, and styling mistakes lead people astray.
- Location 367
- communication,

Make it easy to make changes so you can take in feedback quickly and keep the conversation going, rather than defending or explaining the diagram.
- Location 369
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Expand your toolbox.
- Location 372
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Block Diagram
- Location 379
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A block diagram depicts how objects and their attributes interrelate to create a concept.
- Location 380
- diagramming, block diagram, 1evernote,

A flow diagram outlines the steps in a process, including conditions a user or system is under, and connections between tasks.
- Location 383
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Flow Diagram
- Location 383
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Gantt Chart
- Location 386
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A Gantt chart depicts how processes relate to one another over time.
- Location 387
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A quadrant diagram illustrates how things compare to one another.
- Location 390
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Quadrant Diagram
- Location 390
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Venn Diagram
- Location 394
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A Venn diagram is useful for highlighting overlapping concepts or objects.
- Location 395
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Swim Lane Diagram
- Location 399
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A swim lane diagram depicts how multiple players work together to complete a task or interact within a process.
- Location 400
- diagramming,

Hierarchy Diagram
- Location 403
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Mind Map
- Location 407
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A mind map illustrates the connections between concepts, objects, ideas, channels, people, and places within a particular context.
- Location 408
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A journey map shows all of the steps and places that make up a person or group's experience.
- Location 418
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Journey Map
- Location 418
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Face your reality.
- Location 441
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The power of a matrix diagram is that you can make the boxes collect whatever you want. Each box becomes a task to fulfill or a question to answer, whether you're alone or in a group.
- Location 443
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Matrix diagrams are especially useful when you're facilitating a discussion, because they're easy to create and they keep themselves on track. An empty box means you're not done yet.
- Location 445
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Diagram your reality.
- Location 449
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Choose a Direction
- Location 451
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Moving from why to what.
- Location 452
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People often get in their own way by becoming overwhelmed with choices, choosing not to choose instead. Others are limited by frustration over things they can't change immediately or easily. Change takes time. Start by choosing a direction to go toward. If you take one step in that direction each day, you'll get to the finish line in due time.
- Location 456
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We work at different levels.
- Location 460
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What are you making?
- Location 467
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Whenever you're making something, figure out which levels you're working at: Object: a specific thing. Interface: a point where a user affects that thing. Location: a particular place or position. Journey: the steps in or between locations. Structure: a configuration of objects and locations. System: a set of structures working together. Ecosystem: a collection of related systems.
- Location 468
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These levels deeply affect one another.
- Location 479
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Making changes at one level without considering the affects they have on other levels can lead to friction and dissatisfaction between our users, our stakeholders, and us.
- Location 483
-
- [note::i.e. It is important to consider the direct and indirect effects of your actions at all levels]

We make places.
- Location 489
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The way we choose to arrange a place changes how people intrepret and use it. We encode our intent through the clues we leave for users to know what we want them to do.
- Location 497
-
- [note::Referred to as "placemaking"
Similar to affordances in "The Design of Everyday Things"]

There are spaces between the places we make.
- Location 499
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No matter what you're making, your users will find spaces between places. They bring their own context and channels with them, and they show you where you should go next. Find areas in flux and shine a light on them.
- Location 505
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- [note::Keep in mind: A "place" doesn't have to be physical.]

Language matters.
- Location 507
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Reduce linguistic insecurity.
- Location 516
-
- [note::"Use language that MAKES SENSE to all involved."]

Understand ontology.
- Location 525
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When we decide that a word or concept holds a specific meaning in a specific context, we are practicing ontology.
- Location 526
-
- [note::Ontology - Specific meaning + specific context]

Here are some examples of ontological decisions: Social networks redefining "like" and "friends" for their purposes The "folders" on a computer's "desktop" you use to organize "files" The ability to order at a fast food chain by saying a number
- Location 527
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Ontology always exists, but the one you have today may be messy or nonsensical.
- Location 533
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Design with, not for.
- Location 538
- favorite, design, collaboration, communication, stakeholder engagement,

It's important to discuss and vet your ontological decisions with stakeholders and users. Talking about language choices gives you a chance to test them.
- Location 539
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A good starting point in exploring ontology is to bring everyone together to make a list of terms and concepts. Ask each person to share: One term that they wish they knew more about One term that they wish others understood better. Go through each term as a group and use this as a forum for educating each other on what you know about language and context. Don't "uh huh" your way through words you've never heard or don't understand. Instead, untangle acronyms and unfamiliar phrases.
- Location 541
- ontology, glossary, organizational knowledge, collective understanding, knowledge silos,

Create a list of words you say.
- Location 547
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A controlled vocabulary is an organized list of terms, phrases, and concepts intended to help someone navigate a specific context.
- Location 548
- definition, controlled vocabulary,

Documenting language standards can reduce linguistic insecurity.
- Location 549
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A good controlled vocabulary considers: Variant spellings (e.g., American or British) Tone (e.g., Submit or Send) Scientific and popular terms (e.g., cockroaches or Periplaneta Americana) Insider and outsider terms (e.g., what we say at work; what we say in public) Acceptable synonyms (e.g., automobile, car, auto, or vehicle) Acceptable acronyms (e.g., General Electric, GE, or G.E.)
- Location 550
- favorite,

Create a list of words you don't say.
- Location 555
- taxonomy, collective_understanding, ontology,

For the sake of clarity, you can also define: Terms and concepts that conflict with a user's mental model of how things work Terms and concepts that have alternative meaning for users or stakeholders Terms and concepts that carry historical, political, or cultural baggage Acronyms and homographs that may confuse users or stakeholders
- Location 557
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Define terms for outsiders.
- Location 570
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To define a term clearly: Write down the meaning of the term as simply as you can. Underline each term within your definition that needs to be further defined. Define those terms and test your definition with someone who doesn't know those terms yet. Look at each individual word and ask yourself: What does this mean? Is it as simple as possible?
- Location 574
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Think about nouns and verbs.
- Location 586
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It's easy to adopt terms that are already in use or to be lazy in choosing our language. But when you're deciding which words to use, it is important to consider the alternatives, perceptions, and associations around each term. How would your work be different if "authors writing posts" was changed to "researchers authoring papers," or "followers submitting comments?"
- Location 591
- favorite,

When you combine nouns with appropriate verbs, the resulting sentences can be referred to as requirements for what you're making. From the previous example: An author can write a post. An author can delete a post. Any user can share a post. Any user can read a post. This list of requirements defines the ideal solution. Each requirement tells us who should be able to do what in the eventual state.
- Location 595
-
- [note::Noun + Verb = Requirement]

Think about relationships between nouns and verbs.
- Location 595
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Watch out for options and opinions.
- Location 603
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When we talk about what something has to do, we sometimes answer with options of what it could do or opinions of what it should do. A strong requirement describes the results you want without outlining how to get there. A weak requirement might be written as: "A user is able to easily publish an article with one click of a button." This simple sentence implies the interaction (one click), the interface (a button), and introduces an ambiguous measurement of quality (easily). When we introduce implications and ambiguity into the process, we can unknowingly lock ourselves into decisions we don't mean to make.
- Location 604
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Control your vocabulary.
- Location 635
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To control your vocabulary: Create a list of terms to explore. Define each term as simply as you can. Underline words within your definitions that need to be further defined, and define them. Document the history, alternatives, and myths associated with each term. Review your list of defined terms with some of your users. Refine the list based on their feedback. Create a list of requirements that join your nouns and verbs together.
- Location 638
- taxonomy, ontology, glossary, controlled vocabulary,
- [note::This could be a good project management tool (e.g. "Vocabulary Register" or "Project Glossary" - a document that simply defines the vocabulary that your stakeholders use)]

Measure the Distance
- Location 645
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There's distance between reality and your intent.
- Location 646
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A goal is something specific that you want to do. A well-defined goal has the following elements: Intent: What are the specific results you want to see for your efforts? Baseline: What points of reference can you use to compare your progress with where you are today? Progress: How will you measure movement towards or away from your goal?
- Location 649
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- [note::Well-Defined Goal = Intent + Baseline + Progress

• Add this framework to my Obsidian Goal template]

Progress is as important to measure as success.
- Location 659
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Most things can be measured by systems or people.
- Location 666
-

To find the right indicators, start with these questions: What can you measure in your world? What could you measure if things changed? What signs would tell you if you're moving towards or away from your intent?
- Location 670
- metrics, indicators,
- [note::Indicators i.e. Metrics
Remember: "It's easy to confuse metrics with reality"]

Common indicators. Satisfaction: Are customers happy with what you're delivering against your promises? Kudos: How often do people praise you for your efforts or contributions? Profit: How much was left over after expenses? Value: What would someone pay for it? Loyalty: How likely are your users to return? Traffic: How many people used, visited, or saw what you made? Conversion: What percentage of people acted the way you hoped they would? Spread: How fast is word getting around about what you're doing? Perception: What do people believe about what you're making or trying to achieve? Competition: Who has similar intents to yours? Complaints: How many users are reaching out about an aspect of your product or service? Backlash: What negative commentary do you receive or expect? Expenses: How much did you spend? Debt: How much do you owe? Lost time: How many minutes, hours, or days did you spend unnecessarily? Drop-off: How many people leave without taking the action you hoped they would? Waste: How much do you discard, measured in materials and time? Murk: What alternative truths or opinions exist about what you're making or trying to achieve?
- Location 674
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Use worksheets to mine data from people.
- Location 688
-

A worksheet can help you capture important details that only exist in people's heads or personal records.
- Location 689
-
- [note::Never thought of a worksheet as a way to "mind data from people". Must be why collaborative affinity diagramming is so effective - it gives everyone on the team the ability to put what's in their heads into a space that everyone can see.]

To choose the best way to gather the data, keep these considerations in mind: Time: How much are you asking for, and how long might it take? Access: How many sources are your respondents using to find answers? Who else might they need to contact? Bias: Are they applying their own thoughts and preferences, or delivering data? If your users or stakeholders need a significant amount of time, access, or thought to answer your questions, let them get back to you instead of trying to get through the worksheet together.
- Location 691
- surveying, data gathering,

Flags tell us if we're headed in the right direction.
- Location 705
-

These are all examples of flags: Having a loved one call when they arrive at their destination safely A dashboard light that reminds you to get gas in the next 50 miles A weekly email that shares customer service feedback with a design team An email alert when competitors are mentioned in the press A monthly report of how many users drop off at each step of an online registration process Flags allow us to use data more proactively.
- Location 707
- information, data, design, user experience (ux),

Measurements have rhythm.
- Location 712
-

Consider these factors: Timeframe: Is this measurement most useful after one hour, one day, a season, a year, or an entire decade? What's a better baseline: yesterday, last month, a year ago, or twenty years ago? Access: Is the data readily available? Or does it require help from a particular person or system?
- Location 715
-
- [note::Factors for deciding how frequently measurements should be taken
Measurement Frequency = Timeframe + Access]

Fuzzy is normal.
- Location 719
-
- [note::"Fuzzy is normal" - Uncertainty is just a part of life. Your goals will often be based on incomplete data, but that's far better than not pursuing them at all.]

Set your goals. Think about what you're trying to accomplish. Revisit what you intend to do and why. Now break it down into specific goals. Make a dream list of what would be measureable in an ideal world. Even if the measurement is fuzzy or hard to find, it's useful to think about the best-case scenario. Remember to mine data from people. Measure the baseline of what you can. Once you have your dream list, narrow it down to an achievable set of measurements to gather a baseline reading of. Make a list of indicators to potentially measure. List some situations where you'd want to be notified if things change. Then, figure out how to make those flags for yourself.
- Location 737
-
- [note::I like how this framework advocated for explicitly defining baselines, indicators, and flags. Similar to the "scoreboarding" concept I came across a while back on Youtube.

• Create blog post about scoreboarding that also discusses baselines, indicators, and flags]

Measure the distance.
- Location 744
-

Play with Structure
- Location 747
-

There are many ways to structure things.
- Location 748
-

A structure is a configuration. An unorganized pile is a structure. So is a table of contents or a house of cards. Every thing has a structure.
- Location 748
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To choose a good structure for what you are making, you need to find one that: Makes sense to your users Reflects your intent Helps you to reach your goals
- Location 749
-

Allowing your content to try on a structure you believe to be bad or wrong can be helpful. When we determine what something won't be, we often reveal a little more about what it will be.
- Location 753
-
- [note::Similar to "Knowing what you don't want to do/are NOT doing is arguably more important than knowing what you do want to do/are doing"]

Don't settle for the first structure you come up with.
- Location 754
-
- [note::I'm guilty of this.

• Add "settle on the first structure/draft/iteration you create" to my not to do list]

Taxonomy is how we arrange things.
- Location 756
-

Structural methods for organization and classification are called taxonomy.
- Location 760
- taxonomy, 1todo evernote, blue,

We combine taxonomies to create unique forms.
- Location 764
-

Taxonomies shape our experience at every level. We use taxonomies to make sense of everything from systems to objects. It often takes multiple taxonomic approaches to make sense of a single form.
- Location 765
-

Form is the visual shape or configuration something takes. The form is what users actually experience.
- Location 766
- 1evernote, form,

Even a simple form like this book uses several taxonomies to help you read through the content, understand it, and use it. A few taxonomies in this book: Table of contents Chapter sequence Page numbers Headlines that accompany brief expansions on an individual lesson A lexicon Links to worksheets
- Location 767
-

Sorting is easier than deciding how to sort.
- Location 772
- sorting,

Sorting is the act of arranging content according to established rules.
- Location 773
- blue,

The act of deciding how to sort something within a taxonomy is called classification.
- Location 773
- blue,

The most challenging part of classification is working with other people to agree on a set of rules.
- Location 779
-
- [note::(Because ANYONE can have an opinion, regardless of their expertise)]

Classification can be exact or ambiguous.
- Location 781
-

Ambiguity costs clarity; exactitude costs flexibility.
- Location 788
-

For every ambiguous rule of classification you use or label you hide behind, you'll have to communicate your intent that much more clearly.
- Location 790
- communication, taxonomy, intent, information architecture, organization, categorization, ontology,

The more exact your taxonomy becomes, the less flexible it is.
- Location 793
-

Because there are many words for the same thing, exact classifications can slow us down.
- Location 794
-

Ambiguity hides in simplicity.
- Location 797
-
- [note::I don't understand what this means outside the context of the book.]

A facet is a discrete piece of knowledge you can use to classify something. The more facets something has, the more ways it can be organized. Using the record store as an example, the following facets are available for each record: Record Name Artist Name Record Label Length Release Date Price
- Location 805
-

Facets are the lenses we use to classify.
- Location 805
-

Humans are complex.
- Location 821
-

The tomato is a great example of the vast disagreements humans have with established exact classifications.
- Location 822
- classification,

Classification systems can be unhelpful and indistinguishable when you're sorting things for a particular context.
- Location 829
-

The way you organize things says a lot about you.
- Location 830
-

How you choose to classify and organize things reflects your intent, but it can also reflect your worldview, culture, experience, or privilege.
- Location 832
-

Taxonomies can be hierarchical or heterarchical.
- Location 837
- taxonomy, authority, governance, power, structure,

Taxonomies can be sequential.
- Location 848
-

These are all examples of sequences: A software installation wizard New patient sign-up forms A refund process at a retail store A job application A recipe A fiction book The checkout process on a website
- Location 851
-

Hypertexts bridge taxonomies.
- Location 856
-

A signpost directing you to a store around the corner is also hypertextual, because it sends you to a specific location without changing the location of the store.
- Location 862
-

Most things need a mix of taxonomic approaches.
- Location 864
-

A typical grocery store has a hierarchical aisle system, a heterarchical database for the clerk to retrieve product information by scanning a barcode, and sequences for checking out and other basic customer service tasks.
- Location 868
- sequences, heterarchy, hierarchy, information architecture,

Meet Joan
- Location 873
-

To tie everything together, Joan: Conducts user and stakeholder research Develops a controlled vocabulary to identify the nouns and verbs of both companies across their existing channels States the intent of each channel and determines the best direction to serve users Develops specific goals and baselines Identifies a set of flags to keep her informed Maps out the channels that she manages and how the merger will affect each over time Organizes each channel to better serve stakeholders and users
- Location 877
-

Learn these patterns.
- Location 892
-

Prepare to Adjust
- Location 894
-

Adjustments are a part of reality.
- Location 895
-

Taking in feedback from other people and continuously refining the pieces as well as the whole is what assures that something is "good."
- Location 900
-

It's easy to reach agreement alone.
- Location 912
-

Getting everyone involved early is crucial. Every step you take should come from the direction you choose together. If you don't get agreement up front, prepare for more work later.
- Location 916
-

Don't hide from other stakeholders or wait until the end of the project to talk to users.
- Location 919
-

discuss it until it's clear.
- Location 920
-

To get through the tension, try to understand other people's positions and perceptions: How does this mess look to them? What does their mental model look like? What words do they use? Could your language mislead them? Do they agree with the intent, direction, and goals you outlined? Do they agree on the level you're working at?
- Location 924
- collective_understanding, 1todo evernote, collaboration, favorite,

If it isn't under the floorboards, it's a façade.
- Location 928
-

Information architecture is like the frame and foundation of a building. It's not a building by itself, but you can't add the frame and foundation after the building is up.
- Location 929
-

"Hey, nice IA!" — said no one, ever.
- Location 950
-
- [note::LOL]

people don't compliment or even critique information architecture unless it's broken.
- Location 953
-
- [note::Information Architecture = Plumbing/Electricity in a house]

When making a cup of coffee, the filter's job is to get the grit out before a user drinks the coffee. Sensemaking is like removing the grit from the ideas we're trying to give to users.
- Location 958
- clarity, communication, collaboration, favorite, ideas,

Be the filter, not the grounds.
- Location 958
-

Be the one not bringing the ideas. Instead, be the filter that other people's ideas go through to become drinkable: Shed light on the messes that people see but don't talk about. Make sure everyone agrees on the intent behind the work you're doing together. Help people choose a direction and define goals to track your progress. Evaluate and refine the language and structures you use to pursue those goals.
- Location 960
-

Make sense yet?
- Location 989
-

Have you explored the depth and edges of the mess that you face? Do you know why you have the intent you have and what it means to how you will solve your problem? Have you faced reality and thought about contexts and channels your users could be in? What language have you chosen to use to clarify your direction? What specific goals and baselines will you measure your progress against? Have you put together various structures and tested them to make sure your intended message comes through to users? Are you prepared to adjust?
- Location 990
- adaptability, persuasion, information architecture, buy-in, communication, intent, problem solving,

Resources.
- Location 996
-

Books
- Location 997
-

Robert Gushko, The Discipline of Organization
- Location 997
-

Heather Hedden, The Accidental Taxonomist
- Location 998
-

Andrew Hinton, Understanding Context
- Location 998
- 1resource/book,

Kevin Lynch, An Image of the City
- Location 999
-

Peter Morville, Interwingled
- Location 999
-

Andrea Resmini, Reframing IA
- Location 1000
-

Nathan Shedroff, Design is the Problem
- Location 1000
-

Donna Spencer, Card Sorting
- Location 1001
-

Edward Tufte, Visual Explanations
- Location 1001
-

Richard Saul Wurman, Information Anxiety II
- Location 1001
-

Indi Young, Mental Models
- Location 1002
-

Websites
- Location 1002
-

BoxesAndArrows.com
- Location 1003
-

IAInstitute.org
- Location 1004
-

iA.net/blog
- Location 1004
-

Semanticstudios.com
- Location 1005
- 1action,

Understandinggroup.com
- Location 1005
-

Lexicon
- Location 1006
-

Channel (n.): Anything that carries or transfers information.
- Location 1012
-

Choreograph (v.): To determine the sequence of steps and movements users can take.
- Location 1013
-

Classification (n.): The process of sorting things with similar qualities or characteristics. See also: Classify (v.)
- Location 1013
-

Context (n.): The surroundings, circumstances, environments, background, and settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence. See also: Contextual (adj.)
- Location 1019
-

Controlled Vocabulary (n.): An organized list of terms, phrases, and concepts to help someone understand a topic or domain.
- Location 1020
-

Facet (n.): Any aspect, piece of knowledge or feature of something that can be used for sorting and retrieval.
- Location 1030
-

Flag (n.): A prescribed circumstance in which data is delivered.
- Location 1031
-

Heterarchy (n.): A classification method in which the individual pieces exist without rank, or level. See also: heterarchical (adj.)
- Location 1036
-

Hierarchy (n.): A classification method that applies successive ranks and levels. See also: hierarchical (adj.), hierarchy diagram (n.)
- Location 1037
-

Homograph (n.): A term that has different meanings depending on its context.
- Location 1039
-

Information Architecture (n.): As an object: The way we arrange the parts of something to make it more understandable as a whole. As a practice: The act of deciding which order the pieces of a whole should be arranged in order to communicate the meaning that is intended to users.
- Location 1043
-

Interface (n.): A point where a user affects a location or object.
- Location 1048
-

Lexicography (n.): The collection of varied meanings for single terms. See also: Lexicon (n.)
- Location 1053
-

Linguistic Insecurity (n.): The feeling of anxiety, self-consciousness, or lack of confidence surrounding the use of language in a specific context.
- Location 1054
-

Ontology (n.): The declaration of meaning for terms and concepts within a specific context. See also: ontological (adj.)
- Location 1065
- ontology, 1todo evernote,

Placemaking (n.): The act of determining how to communicate the intended purpose of a place to its users.
- Location 1069
-

Taxonomy (n.): The classification of something.
- Location 1085
-

Identify the Mess
- Location 32
-

Messes are made of information and people.
- Location 33
-

A mess is any situation where something is confusing or full of difficulty. We all encounter messes.
- Location 33
-

It's hard to shine a light on the messes we face.
- Location 39
-

sensemakers
- Location 44
-
- [note::I think the term 'sense-maker' or 'mess-tamer' jives with my identity i.e. "My name is Quinn and I'm a sense-maker"]

Information architecture is all around you.
- Location 45
-

Information architecture is the way that we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable.
- Location 46
-

Here are some examples of information architecture: Alphabetical cross-referencing systems used in a dictionary or encyclopedia Links in website navigation Sections, labels, and names of things on a restaurant menu Categories, labels and tasks used in a software program or application The signs that direct travelers in an airport
- Location 47
-

Things may change; the messes stay the same.
- Location 52
-

there aren't that many causes for confusing information. Too much information Not enough information Not the right information Some combination of these (eek!)
- Location 56
-
- [note::i.e. "Why we get confused"]

People architect information.
- Location 60
-

We're no longer on the shore watching the information age approach; we're up to our hips in it.
- Location 64
-
- [note::Quotable]

Every thing is complex.
- Location 67
-

Here are three complexities you may encounter: A common complexity is lacking a clear direction or agreeing on how to approach something you are working on with others. It can be complex to create, change, access, and maintain useful connections between people and systems, but these connections make it possible for us to communicate. People perceive what's going on around them in different ways. Differing interpretations can make a mess complex to work through.
- Location 69
- information science, information architecture, communication, management, organisational design, project management, complexity, 1todo anki,
- [note::Complexity can be deconstructed into:

1. Complexity of direction - Lacking a clear direction/shared understanding about how something should be approached
2. Complexity of connections - Challenges related to creating, changing, accessing, and maintaining connections between systems and people
3. Complexity of interpretation - Challenges related to the different ways people perceive and understand the things around them]

Knowledge is complex.
- Location 74
-

Every thing has information.
- Location 82
-

every mess and every thing shares one important non-thing:information.
- Location 89
-

What's information?
- Location 90
-

The most important thing I can teach you about information is that it isn't a thing. It's subjective, not objective. It's whatever a user interprets from the arrangement or sequence of things they encounter.
- Location 92
-

While we can arrange things with the intent to communicate certain information, we can't actually make information. Our users do that for us.
- Location 98
-

Information is not data or content.
- Location 100
-

Data is facts, observations, and questions about something. Content can be cookies, words, documents, images, videos, or whatever you're arranging or sequencing.
- Location 100
-

the absence of content or data can be just as informing as the presence.
- Location 102
-

For example, if we ask two people why there is an empty spot on a grocery store shelf, one person might interpret the spot to mean that a product is sold-out, and the other might interpret it as being popular. The jars, the jam, the price tags, and the shelf are the content. The detailed observations each person makes about these things are data. What each person encountering that shelf believes to be true about the empty spot is the information.
- Location 103
-
- [note::Things -> Content
Observations -> Data
Beliefs/Conclusions -> Information]

both the architecture and the content determine how you interpret and use the resulting information.
- Location 112
-

Users are complex.
- Location 115
-

We're full of contradictions. We're known to exhibit strange behaviors. From how we use mobile phones to how we traverse grocery stores, none of us are exactly the same. We don't know why we do what we do. We don't really know why we like what we like, but we do know it when we see it. We're fickle. We expect things to be digital, but also, in many cases, physical. We want things to feel auto-magic while retaining a human touch. We want to be safe, but not spied on. We use words at our whim.
- Location 118
-

Stakeholders are complex.
- Location 124
-

Working together is difficult when stakeholders see the world differently than we do.
- Location 128
-
- [note::Thus, the importance of trust-building and clear communication]

To do is to know.
- Location 132
-

Knowing is not enough. Knowing too much can encourage us to procrastinate. There's a certain point when continuing to know at the expense of doing allows the mess to grow further.
- Location 133
-

Meet Carl.
- Location 141
-

To help Carl identify his mess, we could start by asking questions about its edges and depths: Who are his users and what does he know about them already? How could he find out more? Who are the stakeholders and what does he know about what they are expecting? How does he want people to interpret the work? What content would help that interpretation? What might distract from that interpretation?
- Location 145
-
- [note::Good questions to ask before dealing with whatever mess/project you're taking on.]

It's your turn.
- Location 150
-

To start to identify the mess you're facing, work through these questions: Users: Who are your intended users? What do you know about them? How can you get to know them better? How might they describe this mess? Stakeholders: Who are your stakeholders? What are their expectations? What are their thoughts about this mess? How might they describe it? Information: What interpretations are you dealing with? What information is being created through a lack of data or content? Current state: Are you dealing with too much information, not enough information, not the right information, or a combination of these?
- Location 153
-
- [note::Good questions to ask before dealing with whatever mess/project you're taking on.]

State your Intent
- Location 161
-

Intent is language.
- Location 162
-

For every word we use to describe where we want to go, there's another word that we're walking away from. For every amusement park you make, you're not making a video game. When you intend to be fun for kids, you can use stories but not metaphors. If you want something to be relaxing, it's harder to make it educational. The words we choose matter. They represent the ideas we want to bring into the world.
- Location 164
-

What is good?
- Location 170
-

Language is any system of communication that exists to establish shared meaning.
- Location 171
-

one term can mean something in situation A and something different in situation B. We call this a homograph. For example, the word pool can mean a swimming pool, shooting pool, or a betting pool.
- Location 172
-
- [note::Homograph - A term that can have more than one meaning, depending on the context]

What we intend to do determines how we define words like good and bad.
- Location 179
-
- [note::In other words, "our goals and interests affect how positive or negative we perceive something to be"]

Good is in the eye of the beholder.
- Location 180
-

When we don't define what good means for our stakeholders and users, we aren't using language to our advantage. Without a clear understanding of what is good, bad can come out of nowhere.
- Location 182
-
- [note::Need to define what "good" and "bad" means in the eye of the stakeholder]

Every decision you make should support what you've defined as good: from the words you choose to the tasks you enable, and everything in between. When you're making decisions, balance what your stakeholders and users expect of you, along with what they believe to be good.
- Location 185
- stakeholder engagement, requirements engineering,
- [note::What matters is not what YOU believe to be good, but what your stakeholders believe to be good. Sometimes, you can persuade them to your vision, but sometimes you have to accept what their vision is.]

Looking good versus being good.
- Location 187
-

When making things, we should aim to give equal attention to looking good and being good. If either side of that duality fails, the whole suffers.
- Location 189
-

Meaning can get lost in translation.
- Location 195
-

Who matters?
- Location 202
-

The meaning we intend to communicate doesn't matter if it makes no sense, or the wrong sense, to the people we want to reach.
- Location 203
- communication,

To determine who matters, ask these questions: Who's most important to get agreement from? Who's most important to serve? What words might make them defensive? What words might put them at ease? How open are they to change? How will this affect their lives? How does the current state of things look to them? Is that good or bad?
- Location 205
-
- [note::Questions for stakeholder identification]

Start with why.
- Location 210
-

To start with why, ask yourself: Why does this work need to be done? Why is change needed? Why do those changes matter? Why should other people care? Why hasn't this been tackled correctly? Why will this time be different?
- Location 216
-

What before how.
- Location 220
-

When deciding what you're doing, ask yourself: What are you trying to change? What is your vision for the future? What is within your abilities? What do you know about the quality of what exists today? What further research will help you understand it? What has been done before? What can you learn from those experiences? What is the market and competition like? Has anyone succeeded or failed at this in the past?
- Location 224
-

How varies widely.
- Location 228
-

To look at your options, ask yourself: How could we communicate our message? How much time and effort will it take? How could the solution look and feel? How will this be produced? How will this be maintained? How will this be measured? How will we know if we've succeeded?
- Location 232
-

Why, what, and how are deeply interrelated.
- Location 237
-

Language is the material of intent.
- Location 246
-

State your intent.
- Location 261
-

The following exercise will help you state your intent and clarify your language with other people. First, choose a set of adjectives you want your users to use to describe what you're making. Then, choose a set of adjectives that you're okay with not being used to describe the same thing. I find these rules helpful during this exercise: When put together, each set of words should neither repeat nor disagree with each other. The second set shouldn't be a list of opposites from the first. Avoid negative adjectives, like slow or bad or ugly. Keep each word as neutral as possible. A good test is that someone shouldn't be able to tell which list is positive or negative.
- Location 262
-
- [note::Could use this exercise to helps define what EA Explorer should be]

Face Reality
- Location 271
-

By facing reality, we can find solutions.
- Location 272
-

Reality involves many players.
- Location 282
-

Reality involves many factors.
- Location 289
-

No matter what you're making, you probably need to consider several of these factors: Time: "I only have _____________________." Resources: "I have _____________________." Skillset: "I know how to ________________ , but I don't know how to ______________ yet." Environment: "I'm working in a ___________." Personality: "I want this work to say _________ about me." Politics: "Others want this work to say _________________ about ____________." Ethics: "I want this work to do right by the world by __________________." Integrity: "I want to be proud of the results of my work, which means _____________."
- Location 290
-

Reality happens across channels and…
- Location 297
-

As users, our context is the situation we're in, including where we are, what we're trying to do, how we're feeling, and anything else that shapes our experience. Our context is always unique to us and can't be relied upon to hold steady. If I'm tweeting about a TV show while watching it, my context is "…
- Location 300
-

Tweeting while watching TV is an example of two channels working together to support a single context. A single channel can also support multiple contexts. For example, a website may serve someone browsing on a phone from their couch, on a…
- Location 305
- channels, contexts,
- [note::"Channels and contexts have a many-to-many relationship"]

Reality has many…
- Location 305
-

to make sense of real-world problems, you need to understand how users, channels, and context relate to each other. What channels do your users prefer? What context are they likely in when encountering what you're making? How are they feeling? Are they in a hurry? Are they on…
- Location 310
- problem solving, wicked problems, social change,

Reality doesn't always fit existing patterns. Beware of jumping into an existing solution or copying existing patterns. In my experience, too many people buy into an existing…
- Location 314
-

When architecting information, focus on your own unique objectives. You can learn from and borrow from other people. But it's best to look at their decisions…
- Location 319
-

Objects let us have deeper conversations…
- Location 321
-

When you discuss a specific subject, you subconsciously reference part of a large internal map of what you know. Other people can't see this map. It only exists in…
- Location 322
-
- [note::"Mental Model" = Large internal map of what you know. Although others cannot see this map, you can use objects (maps, diagrams, lists, etc) to help communicate it.]

Objects allow us to compare our mental models…
- Location 327
-

Start with scope and…
- Location 330
-

Before you make objects like diagrams or maps, spend some time determining…
- Location 331
-

Scope is your clearly stated purpose for…
- Location 332
-

Scale is the relative size of your…
- Location 333
-

To think through scope and scale, ask yourself: What do people need to understand? What are the edges of the map or diagram? What are you not mapping or diagramming? Where will other people see this map or…
- Location 335
-

Timescale…
- Location 339
-

A timescale is a period of time your map or diagram represents. There are three main timescales: Then: How did things used to be? Now: How are things today?…
- Location 340
-

As an example, if we wanted to make sense of changes to the American healthcare system over the last year, we could diagram at each of the three timescales: Then: How did healthcare work ten years ago? Now: How does healthcare work today? When: How…
- Location 344
-

Reality involves many…
- Location 348
-

Here are some common rhetorical reasons for making diagrams and maps: Reflection: Point to a future problem (e.g., a map of a local landfill's size in the past, present, and projected future). Options: Show something as it could be (e.g., a diagram showing paths a user could take to set up an application). Improvements: Show something as it should be (e.g., a diagram pointing out opportunities found during user research). Identification: Show something as it once was or is today…
- Location 349
-

Architecture before design.
- Location 355
-

Keep it tidy.
- Location 364
-

People use aesthetic cues to determine how legitimate, trustworthy, and useful information is. Your job is to produce a tidy representation of what you're trying to convey without designing it too much or polishing it too early in the process.
- Location 366
-

As you make your diagram, keep your stakeholders in mind. Will they understand it? Will anything distract them? Crooked lines, misspellings, and styling mistakes lead people astray.
- Location 367
- communication,

Make it easy to make changes so you can take in feedback quickly and keep the conversation going, rather than defending or explaining the diagram.
- Location 369
-

Expand your toolbox.
- Location 372
-

Block Diagram
- Location 379
-

A block diagram depicts how objects and their attributes interrelate to create a concept.
- Location 380
- diagramming, block diagram, 1evernote,

A flow diagram outlines the steps in a process, including conditions a user or system is under, and connections between tasks.
- Location 383
-

Flow Diagram
- Location 383
-

Gantt Chart
- Location 386
-

A Gantt chart depicts how processes relate to one another over time.
- Location 387
-

A quadrant diagram illustrates how things compare to one another.
- Location 390
-

Quadrant Diagram
- Location 390
-

Venn Diagram
- Location 394
-

A Venn diagram is useful for highlighting overlapping concepts or objects.
- Location 395
-

Swim Lane Diagram
- Location 399
-

A swim lane diagram depicts how multiple players work together to complete a task or interact within a process.
- Location 400
- diagramming,

Hierarchy Diagram
- Location 403
-

Mind Map
- Location 407
-

A mind map illustrates the connections between concepts, objects, ideas, channels, people, and places within a particular context.
- Location 408
-

A journey map shows all of the steps and places that make up a person or group's experience.
- Location 418
-

Journey Map
- Location 418
-

Face your reality.
- Location 441
-

The power of a matrix diagram is that you can make the boxes collect whatever you want. Each box becomes a task to fulfill or a question to answer, whether you're alone or in a group.
- Location 443
-

Matrix diagrams are especially useful when you're facilitating a discussion, because they're easy to create and they keep themselves on track. An empty box means you're not done yet.
- Location 445
-

Diagram your reality.
- Location 449
-

Choose a Direction
- Location 451
-

Moving from why to what.
- Location 452
-

People often get in their own way by becoming overwhelmed with choices, choosing not to choose instead. Others are limited by frustration over things they can't change immediately or easily. Change takes time. Start by choosing a direction to go toward. If you take one step in that direction each day, you'll get to the finish line in due time.
- Location 456
-

We work at different levels.
- Location 460
-

What are you making?
- Location 467
-

Whenever you're making something, figure out which levels you're working at: Object: a specific thing. Interface: a point where a user affects that thing. Location: a particular place or position. Journey: the steps in or between locations. Structure: a configuration of objects and locations. System: a set of structures working together. Ecosystem: a collection of related systems.
- Location 468
-

These levels deeply affect one another.
- Location 479
-

Making changes at one level without considering the affects they have on other levels can lead to friction and dissatisfaction between our users, our stakeholders, and us.
- Location 483
-
- [note::i.e. It is important to consider the direct and indirect effects of your actions at all levels]

We make places.
- Location 489
-

The way we choose to arrange a place changes how people intrepret and use it. We encode our intent through the clues we leave for users to know what we want them to do.
- Location 497
-
- [note::Referred to as "placemaking"
Similar to affordances in "The Design of Everyday Things"]

There are spaces between the places we make.
- Location 499
-

No matter what you're making, your users will find spaces between places. They bring their own context and channels with them, and they show you where you should go next. Find areas in flux and shine a light on them.
- Location 505
-
- [note::Keep in mind: A "place" doesn't have to be physical.]

Language matters.
- Location 507
-

Reduce linguistic insecurity.
- Location 516
-
- [note::"Use language that MAKES SENSE to all involved."]

Understand ontology.
- Location 525
-

When we decide that a word or concept holds a specific meaning in a specific context, we are practicing ontology.
- Location 526
-
- [note::Ontology - Specific meaning + specific context]

Here are some examples of ontological decisions: Social networks redefining "like" and "friends" for their purposes The "folders" on a computer's "desktop" you use to organize "files" The ability to order at a fast food chain by saying a number
- Location 527
-

Ontology always exists, but the one you have today may be messy or nonsensical.
- Location 533
-

Design with, not for.
- Location 538
- favorite, design, collaboration, communication, stakeholder engagement,

It's important to discuss and vet your ontological decisions with stakeholders and users. Talking about language choices gives you a chance to test them.
- Location 539
-

A good starting point in exploring ontology is to bring everyone together to make a list of terms and concepts. Ask each person to share: One term that they wish they knew more about One term that they wish others understood better. Go through each term as a group and use this as a forum for educating each other on what you know about language and context. Don't "uh huh" your way through words you've never heard or don't understand. Instead, untangle acronyms and unfamiliar phrases.
- Location 541
- ontology, glossary, organizational knowledge, collective understanding, knowledge silos,

Create a list of words you say.
- Location 547
-

A controlled vocabulary is an organized list of terms, phrases, and concepts intended to help someone navigate a specific context.
- Location 548
- definition, controlled vocabulary,

Documenting language standards can reduce linguistic insecurity.
- Location 549
-

A good controlled vocabulary considers: Variant spellings (e.g., American or British) Tone (e.g., Submit or Send) Scientific and popular terms (e.g., cockroaches or Periplaneta Americana) Insider and outsider terms (e.g., what we say at work; what we say in public) Acceptable synonyms (e.g., automobile, car, auto, or vehicle) Acceptable acronyms (e.g., General Electric, GE, or G.E.)
- Location 550
- favorite,

Create a list of words you don't say.
- Location 555
- taxonomy, collective_understanding, ontology,

For the sake of clarity, you can also define: Terms and concepts that conflict with a user's mental model of how things work Terms and concepts that have alternative meaning for users or stakeholders Terms and concepts that carry historical, political, or cultural baggage Acronyms and homographs that may confuse users or stakeholders
- Location 557
-

Define terms for outsiders.
- Location 570
-

To define a term clearly: Write down the meaning of the term as simply as you can. Underline each term within your definition that needs to be further defined. Define those terms and test your definition with someone who doesn't know those terms yet. Look at each individual word and ask yourself: What does this mean? Is it as simple as possible?
- Location 574
-

Think about nouns and verbs.
- Location 586
-

It's easy to adopt terms that are already in use or to be lazy in choosing our language. But when you're deciding which words to use, it is important to consider the alternatives, perceptions, and associations around each term. How would your work be different if "authors writing posts" was changed to "researchers authoring papers," or "followers submitting comments?"
- Location 591
- favorite,

When you combine nouns with appropriate verbs, the resulting sentences can be referred to as requirements for what you're making. From the previous example: An author can write a post. An author can delete a post. Any user can share a post. Any user can read a post. This list of requirements defines the ideal solution. Each requirement tells us who should be able to do what in the eventual state.
- Location 595
-
- [note::Noun + Verb = Requirement]

Think about relationships between nouns and verbs.
- Location 595
-

Watch out for options and opinions.
- Location 603
-

When we talk about what something has to do, we sometimes answer with options of what it could do or opinions of what it should do. A strong requirement describes the results you want without outlining how to get there. A weak requirement might be written as: "A user is able to easily publish an article with one click of a button." This simple sentence implies the interaction (one click), the interface (a button), and introduces an ambiguous measurement of quality (easily). When we introduce implications and ambiguity into the process, we can unknowingly lock ourselves into decisions we don't mean to make.
- Location 604
-

Control your vocabulary.
- Location 635
-

To control your vocabulary: Create a list of terms to explore. Define each term as simply as you can. Underline words within your definitions that need to be further defined, and define them. Document the history, alternatives, and myths associated with each term. Review your list of defined terms with some of your users. Refine the list based on their feedback. Create a list of requirements that join your nouns and verbs together.
- Location 638
- taxonomy, ontology, glossary, controlled vocabulary,
- [note::This could be a good project management tool (e.g. "Vocabulary Register" or "Project Glossary" - a document that simply defines the vocabulary that your stakeholders use)]

Measure the Distance
- Location 645
-

There's distance between reality and your intent.
- Location 646
-

A goal is something specific that you want to do. A well-defined goal has the following elements: Intent: What are the specific results you want to see for your efforts? Baseline: What points of reference can you use to compare your progress with where you are today? Progress: How will you measure movement towards or away from your goal?
- Location 649
-
- [note::Well-Defined Goal = Intent + Baseline + Progress

• Add this framework to my Obsidian Goal template]

Progress is as important to measure as success.
- Location 659
-

Most things can be measured by systems or people.
- Location 666
-

To find the right indicators, start with these questions: What can you measure in your world? What could you measure if things changed? What signs would tell you if you're moving towards or away from your intent?
- Location 670
- metrics, indicators,
- [note::Indicators i.e. Metrics
Remember: "It's easy to confuse metrics with reality"]

Common indicators. Satisfaction: Are customers happy with what you're delivering against your promises? Kudos: How often do people praise you for your efforts or contributions? Profit: How much was left over after expenses? Value: What would someone pay for it? Loyalty: How likely are your users to return? Traffic: How many people used, visited, or saw what you made? Conversion: What percentage of people acted the way you hoped they would? Spread: How fast is word getting around about what you're doing? Perception: What do people believe about what you're making or trying to achieve? Competition: Who has similar intents to yours? Complaints: How many users are reaching out about an aspect of your product or service? Backlash: What negative commentary do you receive or expect? Expenses: How much did you spend? Debt: How much do you owe? Lost time: How many minutes, hours, or days did you spend unnecessarily? Drop-off: How many people leave without taking the action you hoped they would? Waste: How much do you discard, measured in materials and time? Murk: What alternative truths or opinions exist about what you're making or trying to achieve?
- Location 674
-

Use worksheets to mine data from people.
- Location 688
-

A worksheet can help you capture important details that only exist in people's heads or personal records.
- Location 689
-
- [note::Never thought of a worksheet as a way to "mind data from people". Must be why collaborative affinity diagramming is so effective - it gives everyone on the team the ability to put what's in their heads into a space that everyone can see.]

To choose the best way to gather the data, keep these considerations in mind: Time: How much are you asking for, and how long might it take? Access: How many sources are your respondents using to find answers? Who else might they need to contact? Bias: Are they applying their own thoughts and preferences, or delivering data? If your users or stakeholders need a significant amount of time, access, or thought to answer your questions, let them get back to you instead of trying to get through the worksheet together.
- Location 691
- surveying, data gathering,

Flags tell us if we're headed in the right direction.
- Location 705
-

These are all examples of flags: Having a loved one call when they arrive at their destination safely A dashboard light that reminds you to get gas in the next 50 miles A weekly email that shares customer service feedback with a design team An email alert when competitors are mentioned in the press A monthly report of how many users drop off at each step of an online registration process Flags allow us to use data more proactively.
- Location 707
- information, data, design, user experience (ux),

Measurements have rhythm.
- Location 712
-

Consider these factors: Timeframe: Is this measurement most useful after one hour, one day, a season, a year, or an entire decade? What's a better baseline: yesterday, last month, a year ago, or twenty years ago? Access: Is the data readily available? Or does it require help from a particular person or system?
- Location 715
-
- [note::Factors for deciding how frequently measurements should be taken
Measurement Frequency = Timeframe + Access]

Fuzzy is normal.
- Location 719
-
- [note::"Fuzzy is normal" - Uncertainty is just a part of life. Your goals will often be based on incomplete data, but that's far better than not pursuing them at all.]

Set your goals. Think about what you're trying to accomplish. Revisit what you intend to do and why. Now break it down into specific goals. Make a dream list of what would be measureable in an ideal world. Even if the measurement is fuzzy or hard to find, it's useful to think about the best-case scenario. Remember to mine data from people. Measure the baseline of what you can. Once you have your dream list, narrow it down to an achievable set of measurements to gather a baseline reading of. Make a list of indicators to potentially measure. List some situations where you'd want to be notified if things change. Then, figure out how to make those flags for yourself.
- Location 737
-
- [note::I like how this framework advocated for explicitly defining baselines, indicators, and flags. Similar to the "scoreboarding" concept I came across a while back on Youtube.

• Create blog post about scoreboarding that also discusses baselines, indicators, and flags]

Measure the distance.
- Location 744
-

Play with Structure
- Location 747
-

There are many ways to structure things.
- Location 748
-

A structure is a configuration. An unorganized pile is a structure. So is a table of contents or a house of cards. Every thing has a structure.
- Location 748
-

To choose a good structure for what you are making, you need to find one that: Makes sense to your users Reflects your intent Helps you to reach your goals
- Location 749
-

Allowing your content to try on a structure you believe to be bad or wrong can be helpful. When we determine what something won't be, we often reveal a little more about what it will be.
- Location 753
-
- [note::Similar to "Knowing what you don't want to do/are NOT doing is arguably more important than knowing what you do want to do/are doing"]

Don't settle for the first structure you come up with.
- Location 754
-
- [note::I'm guilty of this.

• Add "settle on the first structure/draft/iteration you create" to my not to do list]

Taxonomy is how we arrange things.
- Location 756
-

Structural methods for organization and classification are called taxonomy.
- Location 760
- taxonomy, 1todo evernote, blue,

We combine taxonomies to create unique forms.
- Location 764
-

Taxonomies shape our experience at every level. We use taxonomies to make sense of everything from systems to objects. It often takes multiple taxonomic approaches to make sense of a single form.
- Location 765
-

Form is the visual shape or configuration something takes. The form is what users actually experience.
- Location 766
- 1evernote, form,

Even a simple form like this book uses several taxonomies to help you read through the content, understand it, and use it. A few taxonomies in this book: Table of contents Chapter sequence Page numbers Headlines that accompany brief expansions on an individual lesson A lexicon Links to worksheets
- Location 767
-

Sorting is easier than deciding how to sort.
- Location 772
- sorting,

Sorting is the act of arranging content according to established rules.
- Location 773
- blue,

The act of deciding how to sort something within a taxonomy is called classification.
- Location 773
- blue,

The most challenging part of classification is working with other people to agree on a set of rules.
- Location 779
-
- [note::(Because ANYONE can have an opinion, regardless of their expertise)]

Classification can be exact or ambiguous.
- Location 781
-

Ambiguity costs clarity; exactitude costs flexibility.
- Location 788
-

For every ambiguous rule of classification you use or label you hide behind, you'll have to communicate your intent that much more clearly.
- Location 790
- communication, taxonomy, intent, information architecture, organization, categorization, ontology,

The more exact your taxonomy becomes, the less flexible it is.
- Location 793
-

Because there are many words for the same thing, exact classifications can slow us down.
- Location 794
-

Ambiguity hides in simplicity.
- Location 797
-
- [note::I don't understand what this means outside the context of the book.]

A facet is a discrete piece of knowledge you can use to classify something. The more facets something has, the more ways it can be organized. Using the record store as an example, the following facets are available for each record: Record Name Artist Name Record Label Length Release Date Price
- Location 805
-

Facets are the lenses we use to classify.
- Location 805
-

Humans are complex.
- Location 821
-

The tomato is a great example of the vast disagreements humans have with established exact classifications.
- Location 822
- classification,

Classification systems can be unhelpful and indistinguishable when you're sorting things for a particular context.
- Location 829
-

The way you organize things says a lot about you.
- Location 830
-

How you choose to classify and organize things reflects your intent, but it can also reflect your worldview, culture, experience, or privilege.
- Location 832
-

Taxonomies can be hierarchical or heterarchical.
- Location 837
- taxonomy, authority, governance, power, structure,

Taxonomies can be sequential.
- Location 848
-

These are all examples of sequences: A software installation wizard New patient sign-up forms A refund process at a retail store A job application A recipe A fiction book The checkout process on a website
- Location 851
-

Hypertexts bridge taxonomies.
- Location 856
-

A signpost directing you to a store around the corner is also hypertextual, because it sends you to a specific location without changing the location of the store.
- Location 862
-

Most things need a mix of taxonomic approaches.
- Location 864
-

A typical grocery store has a hierarchical aisle system, a heterarchical database for the clerk to retrieve product information by scanning a barcode, and sequences for checking out and other basic customer service tasks.
- Location 868
- sequences, heterarchy, hierarchy, information architecture,

Meet Joan
- Location 873
-

To tie everything together, Joan: Conducts user and stakeholder research Develops a controlled vocabulary to identify the nouns and verbs of both companies across their existing channels States the intent of each channel and determines the best direction to serve users Develops specific goals and baselines Identifies a set of flags to keep her informed Maps out the channels that she manages and how the merger will affect each over time Organizes each channel to better serve stakeholders and users
- Location 877
-

Learn these patterns.
- Location 892
-

Prepare to Adjust
- Location 894
-

Adjustments are a part of reality.
- Location 895
-

Taking in feedback from other people and continuously refining the pieces as well as the whole is what assures that something is "good."
- Location 900
-

It's easy to reach agreement alone.
- Location 912
-

Getting everyone involved early is crucial. Every step you take should come from the direction you choose together. If you don't get agreement up front, prepare for more work later.
- Location 916
-

Don't hide from other stakeholders or wait until the end of the project to talk to users.
- Location 919
-

discuss it until it's clear.
- Location 920
-

To get through the tension, try to understand other people's positions and perceptions: How does this mess look to them? What does their mental model look like? What words do they use? Could your language mislead them? Do they agree with the intent, direction, and goals you outlined? Do they agree on the level you're working at?
- Location 924
- collective_understanding, 1todo evernote, collaboration, favorite,

If it isn't under the floorboards, it's a façade.
- Location 928
-

Information architecture is like the frame and foundation of a building. It's not a building by itself, but you can't add the frame and foundation after the building is up.
- Location 929
-

"Hey, nice IA!" — said no one, ever.
- Location 950
-
- [note::LOL]

people don't compliment or even critique information architecture unless it's broken.
- Location 953
-
- [note::Information Architecture = Plumbing/Electricity in a house]

When making a cup of coffee, the filter's job is to get the grit out before a user drinks the coffee. Sensemaking is like removing the grit from the ideas we're trying to give to users.
- Location 958
- clarity, communication, collaboration, favorite, ideas,

Be the filter, not the grounds.
- Location 958
-

Be the one not bringing the ideas. Instead, be the filter that other people's ideas go through to become drinkable: Shed light on the messes that people see but don't talk about. Make sure everyone agrees on the intent behind the work you're doing together. Help people choose a direction and define goals to track your progress. Evaluate and refine the language and structures you use to pursue those goals.
- Location 960
-

Make sense yet?
- Location 989
-

Have you explored the depth and edges of the mess that you face? Do you know why you have the intent you have and what it means to how you will solve your problem? Have you faced reality and thought about contexts and channels your users could be in? What language have you chosen to use to clarify your direction? What specific goals and baselines will you measure your progress against? Have you put together various structures and tested them to make sure your intended message comes through to users? Are you prepared to adjust?
- Location 990
- adaptability, persuasion, information architecture, buy-in, communication, intent, problem solving,

Resources.
- Location 996
-

Books
- Location 997
-

Robert Gushko, The Discipline of Organization
- Location 997
-

Heather Hedden, The Accidental Taxonomist
- Location 998
-

Andrew Hinton, Understanding Context
- Location 998
- 1resource/book,

Kevin Lynch, An Image of the City
- Location 999
-

Peter Morville, Interwingled
- Location 999
-

Andrea Resmini, Reframing IA
- Location 1000
-

Nathan Shedroff, Design is the Problem
- Location 1000
-

Donna Spencer, Card Sorting
- Location 1001
-

Edward Tufte, Visual Explanations
- Location 1001
-

Richard Saul Wurman, Information Anxiety II
- Location 1001
-

Indi Young, Mental Models
- Location 1002
-

Websites
- Location 1002
-

BoxesAndArrows.com
- Location 1003
-

IAInstitute.org
- Location 1004
-

iA.net/blog
- Location 1004
-

Semanticstudios.com
- Location 1005
- 1action,

Understandinggroup.com
- Location 1005
-

Lexicon
- Location 1006
-

Channel (n.): Anything that carries or transfers information.
- Location 1012
-

Choreograph (v.): To determine the sequence of steps and movements users can take.
- Location 1013
-

Classification (n.): The process of sorting things with similar qualities or characteristics. See also: Classify (v.)
- Location 1013
-

Context (n.): The surroundings, circumstances, environments, background, and settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence. See also: Contextual (adj.)
- Location 1019
-

Controlled Vocabulary (n.): An organized list of terms, phrases, and concepts to help someone understand a topic or domain.
- Location 1020
-

Facet (n.): Any aspect, piece of knowledge or feature of something that can be used for sorting and retrieval.
- Location 1030
-

Flag (n.): A prescribed circumstance in which data is delivered.
- Location 1031
-

Heterarchy (n.): A classification method in which the individual pieces exist without rank, or level. See also: heterarchical (adj.)
- Location 1036
-

Hierarchy (n.): A classification method that applies successive ranks and levels. See also: hierarchical (adj.), hierarchy diagram (n.)
- Location 1037
-

Homograph (n.): A term that has different meanings depending on its context.
- Location 1039
-

Information Architecture (n.): As an object: The way we arrange the parts of something to make it more understandable as a whole. As a practice: The act of deciding which order the pieces of a whole should be arranged in order to communicate the meaning that is intended to users.
- Location 1043
-

Interface (n.): A point where a user affects a location or object.
- Location 1048
-

Lexicography (n.): The collection of varied meanings for single terms. See also: Lexicon (n.)
- Location 1053
-

Linguistic Insecurity (n.): The feeling of anxiety, self-consciousness, or lack of confidence surrounding the use of language in a specific context.
- Location 1054
-

Ontology (n.): The declaration of meaning for terms and concepts within a specific context. See also: ontological (adj.)
- Location 1065
- ontology, 1todo evernote,

Placemaking (n.): The act of determining how to communicate the intended purpose of a place to its users.
- Location 1069
-

Taxonomy (n.): The classification of something.
- Location 1085
-