Whether helping people to get their jobs done more effectively, or entertaining them in their free time: the marks that information architects leave on this world matter. We need to architect language and structures that make sense to our users but we also have to clearly communicate these decisions to those we work with. Clarity is a skill that anyone making anything should pay special attention to. For our opening keynote, Abby Covert will share with us the secrets to making sure that the marks we make are clear. Abby Covert è un'architetto dell'informazione freelance. Si è specializzata in processi collaborativi di generazione di architetture informaive e nell'insegnamento di queste cose alle persone con cui lavora. Scrive e partecipa a conferenze con lo pseudonimo Abby the IA: il suo contributo è focalizzato sul condividere i contenuti dell'architettura dell'informazione con tutta la comunità di pratica che lavora con il design e la tecnologia. È l'autrice di “How to Make Sense of Any Mess”, un libro che parla dell'architetttura dell'informazione per tutti.

1. Clarity in
mark making
by Abby Covert

3. “…the
expressive
qualities that
add to the look
and feel of an
artwork.”
- The Tate

4. Art &
Science

5. What can
we teach about
the art part of
information
architecture?

6. “How do I get
executives to believe
me about our users?”
“How can I get the designers and
developers on the same page?”
“How can I deal
with people in my
organization who
don’t want to
change?”
“How can a huge
organization ever come
to an agreement about
what needs to change?”
Messy Human Questions

7. Pattern #1
Mental Model
Differences

8. Pattern #2
Conflicting
Incentivisation
Models

9. Pattern #3
Fear &
anxiety

10. Pattern #4
Time &
Money

11. How can Ias
make clearer
marks?

12. Be the facilitator,
not the expert

13. Keep it messy

14. Position Ia as an
ongoing conversation

15. Do the IA
…then do everything else
* Spoiler Alert: this never works

16. Governance

17. See things from
all sides

18. Share Ownership

19. To Make clearer marks
1. Be the facilitator, not the expert
2. Keep it messy
3. Position IA as an ongoing conversation
4. See things from all sides
5. Share ownership

20. I wrote a book about
information
architecture for
everybody!
http://abbytheia.com/makesense/
Grazie!