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How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody Paperback – November 4, 2014

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Abby Covert (Author)
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Abby Covert (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 58 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 174 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1.0 edition (November 4, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1500615994
  • ISBN-13: 978-1500615994
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsthis book is a fantastic introduction on how 'Information Architecture' as a practice is ...
By Josephw on November 10, 2014
Format: Paperback
For people who have never heard about, or been taught techniques to help them organise information, this book is a fantastic introduction on how 'Information Architecture' as a practice is actually very relevant to all of us in our lives at home as well as at work. Less technical, more philosophical. Less theoretical, more practical this book is easy to consume and full of great gems of advice and practical help in the forms of workshops that can be applied simply with clients, stakeholders and colleagues.
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5.0 out of 5 starsInformation Architecture Literacy
By Michael Adcock on November 25, 2014
Format: Paperback
If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say this book teaches "information architecture literacy". I'm not even sure the idea of such a thing existed before, but you only have to read this book to realize how it's critically needed... by everyone.

The ALA defines information literacy as the ability to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information". Obviously, these skills are still needed today, and not just by librarians and information professionals. But "use" in the old context seemed simpler: finding and applying the information directly. Now we're inhabiting places made of information, struggling with and trying to understand, create, and share complex messes of information. None of this is easy, it's disorienting and confusing, and many of us lack a good approach to figure this stuff out. That's where information architecture comes in. And Abby's book does an excellent job of explaining the core concepts in a way that is accessible and useful for anyone.

This isn't a textbook, or some "thought leader's" magical process. You won't learn how to build a website or an app. It's a frank and interesting look at how to begin to figure stuff out. (Where "stuff" is the complex interaction of people, information, and technology.)
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5.0 out of 5 starsFinally, a true IA primer
By Dylan E Wilbanks on November 23, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
There is nothing wrong with Lou Rosenfeld's or Christina Wodtke's pre-eminent books on information architecture. But they are thick, dense reads you just can't hand to someone asking you, "So what IS information architecture anyway?" But now comes Abby Covert's short book that explains, plainly, why IA is important in unadorned text. I think we may look on this book in coming years the way we look on Don't Make Me Think: A book that can explain to the layperson why we in the UX/IA world do what we do. It's short, plain, clear, and smart.
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5.0 out of 5 stars"How to easily get your point across for the rest of your life." could have been the title of this book.
By John McGarey on February 14, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I loved that the chapters were so clear and concise with a different header on each page. I loved that the writing was funny ("used to be a Pizza Hut" and "hey nice ia said no one ever" :) I appreciate that she took the time to optimize the words here because I know that can take a ton of time and thinking. ("I wanted to write you a shorter letter but I didn't have time" Mark Twain). I bet she chose to leave out the things that would have made things murkier. Well she nailed it because as it is this book is strong, tight, and sharp as a tack. No murk here. It is concise so it doesn't waste your time but it still has the best and most complete set of strategies for making sense of things, and I believe it could help anyone structure their presentations to make it understandable and to get their point across. Highly recommended.
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2.0 out of 5 starsI felt like I was reading her twitter page
By DG on January 17, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This book is a series of generic one-page essays. Each essay is a list of statements that seem to state generic "truths", without really leading to any conclusion that is not common sense. I had the impression that the author was trying to "keep it simple" (by writing sentences with a basic structure and a basic vocabulary), and ended up with a book without much depth. I felt like I was reading her twitter page, and that each thought was limited to the 160-charaters attention span. The good thing is that this book is short, so it wasn't a big investment of my time; but I didn't get much out of it.
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5.0 out of 5 starsVery thoughtful in detail book on how to handle a mess
By John B. Spence on January 21, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
If you are faced with a complex problem or challenge, you need to read this book. It is a very thoughtful, detailed and exhaustive collection of ways to deal with a mess. Checklists, questions, flowcharts… It is full of different tools that allow you to attack a mess from multiple angles. I have already recommended this book to several of my clients and will be using the ideas in it to help them attack nasty messes.
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1.0 out of 5 starsThis book is a mess
By wangchou lu on December 30, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
What a mess... This book keeps asking you to ask yourself 7-8 questions on lots of pages like
How could we communicate our message?
How much time and effort will it take?
...

And without giving any physical examples? Hey, I asked these questions a lot, so I find a book to teach me... This book really really make me angry.
---
I also read the slides of this book on slideshare... same feeling.
I really want to know why so many people give this book so many stars
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4.0 out of 5 starsNothing but the bare facts, but I wanted more on how to use those facts.
By Gary T. on June 21, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This book has nothing but the facts, which is why I cannot give it 5 stars. The author does a fantastic job of breaking everything down to its key components. The weakness is that you do not really understand how you would use the information. You are left with facts, but not any understanding of how real world use would unfold.

The topic is great, the outlined facts are well written and logical. It is that I need more to take benefit of the author's great work.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsIf you're new to sense-making this book will give you a head-start on...

If there was one book I could give to anyone who makes things with words or ideas it would be this book.
It is short.
It is clear.
It is practical. Read more

Published 8 days ago by Joe Elmendorf
5.0 out of 5 starsBuy two, one for you one for a friend.

Terrific book. Smart enough to be a text book (used in the systems class at CCA) simple enough to read after a hard day's work, and fun enough you'll do so enjoyably. Read more

Published 12 days ago by Christina Wodtke
2.0 out of 5 starsTwo Stars

There are so minimal amount of useful information, and it is so basic...

Published 16 days ago by Aivaras Liutvinas
2.0 out of 5 starsMeh.

Not sure what I expected, but felt like Cliff Notes for the real book.

Published 1 month ago by Christopher Watson
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book! I read it for a class I ...

Great book! I read it for a class I was taking and found it very helpful. I made a lot of reference marks so I can go back to it.

Published 1 month ago by Cynthia
3.0 out of 5 starsSelf referential?

The title feels a bit ironic, as this book is a mess.

Both when it comes to content and abstraction level, it is all over the place. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Jan Kroken
4.0 out of 5 starsUseful reference for setting up projects

I like the simplicity of this book as well as the exercises and questions. I recommend this to anyone who works as a technical writer or is charged with organizing information for... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Susan Griffin
5.0 out of 5 starsA book to give everyone an insight into IA

I love this book and have already started gifting it. "Information Architect" puts an important name to a key skill in every knowledge worker's arsenal. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Gates VP
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is the Strunk and White "Elements of Style" for the information...

More books should be as satisfying as Abby Covert's How to Make Sense of Any Mess. She takes a topic--information architecture--that has often been jargonized and... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Roger C. Parker
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

This was a great practical introduction.

Published 3 months ago by ah

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