Messes are made of information and people.

• A mess is any situation where something is confusing or full of difficulty.
• Here are some of the many messes we deal with in our everyday lives:
• The structure of teams and organizationsThe processes we undertake in working togetherThe ways products and services are represented, sold, and delivered to usThe ways we communicate with each other

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

• It's hard to be the one to say that something is a mess.
• These are the moments where confusion, procrastination, self-criticism, and frustration keep us from changing the world.
• The first step to taming any mess is to shine a light on it so you can outline its edges and depths.
• Once you brighten up your workspace, you can guide yourself through the complex journey of making sense of the mess.

Information architecture is all around you.

• Information architecture is the way that we arrange the parts of something to make it understandable.
• Here are some examples of information architecture:
• Alphabetical cross-referencing systems used in a dictionary or encyclopediaLinks in website navigationSections, labels, and names of things on a restaurant menuCategories, labels and tasks used in a software program or applicationThe signs that direct travelers in an airport
• We rely on information architecture to help us make sense of the world around us.

Things may change; the messes stay the same.

• We've been learning how to architect information since the dawn of thought.
• Even now, technology continues to change the things we make and use at a rate we don't understand yet.
• But when it really comes down to it, there aren't that many causes for confusing information.
• Too much informationNot enough informationNot the right informationSome combination of these (eek!)