Information Architecture in Practice
12 Months of Community-Supported Learning with Abby Covert
Ready to transform how you work in 2025? Join a vibrant learning community solving the thorny problems of information architecture - like how to audit massive content libraries, design navigation that actually works, and get buy-in for better organizing systems. Each month, we dive deep into one focus area, building skills you can apply to your toughest information challenges.
Start anytime. It's never too late.
Each month in 2025 centers on one focus area of information architecture. You'll work alongside Abby Covert to develop essential skills and practical approaches to organizing information.
Your learning path includes four connected experiences each month. Community discussions that explore real challenges, workshops that build concrete skills, resource guides that capture proven methods, and practice sessions where you apply what you learn.
This structured but flexible approach helps you tackle complex information problems with confidence. Rather than just discussing theory, you'll build skills you can apply to your work right away.
Includes:
- Weekly Chat Discussions
Deep dive with Abby into specific challenges in our members-only chat channel. - Monthly Video Discussions
Join live conversations moderated by Abby exploring each topic with fellow practitioners. - Group Workshops Every Month
Participate in newly developed workshops incorporating community insights. - Growing Sensemaker's Handbook
Reference our collective discoveries and research in each focus area.
MARCH'S FOCUS AREA
HEURISTICS
Heuristics in information architecture isn't just about following rules - it's about making sure things work in ways that make sense to people. Before diving into design, we need clear ways to spot what helps or confuses users as they move through information spaces..
Think of it like having a user-centered checklist. Think of heuristics like rules that focus on real human needs. In the case of information architecture that might mean covering aspects like - clear navigation, familiar patterns, helpful feedback, and plain language. Heuristics help you catch problems early by showing where people might get stuck or confused. When we use these rules to evaluate information architectures, we must look beyond surface-level issues to find deeper patterns. Can people backtrack when lost? Do labels match what users actually call things? Is help available when needed? By learning to spot these fundamental issues, you'll create spaces that truly help people find their way. These guidelines turn abstract principles into practical tools for making information clear and useful.
Auditing Approaches, Methods and Tools
Community Chat Discussion
Mondays in March
@ 12 PM Eastern
Join us in channel every Monday in March to explore hands-on ways to use heuristics in your work. We'll share real-world checks and guidelines, from quick usability rules to detailed testing methods, and learn from each other's successes and stumbles when making information clearer for users.
Can Rules of Thumb Get Real Results? Let's Talk About Using Heuristics
Discussion Group
March 7 2025
@ 12 to 1 PM Eastern
Some say heuristics are too basic to catch real problems, while others swear by them as first-line design checks. Join us for a community discussion about when these rules of thumb help or hinder our work. Share your views on using quick checks versus deeper testing methods, and how your team balances quick rules against other ways to spot problems in information spaces.
The Sensemaker's Guide to Heuristics
Chapter Release
March 14, 2025
Available for FREE on abbycovert.com
Get a straightforward plan for using heuristics to spot problems in your information spaces.
This free guide walks you through common trouble spots, what to look for, and how to check your work in ways that fit your team's needs and goals.
Heuristics in Action: Simple Checks for Better Designs
Workshop
March 21, 2025
@ 12 to 2 PM Eastern
Coming in April
Stakeholders
Coming in May
Diagramming & Modeling
EACH MONTH BRINGS A FOCUS AREA
Each focus area builds on the last, following the natural flow of how we make sense of, design for, and improve information spaces. This thoughtful progression helps you develop a complete approach to information architecture practice.
MONTHLY FOCUS AREAS
- January: Auditing an Existing Information Environment
- February: Establishing Measurements in Preparation for Change
- March: Conducting a Heuristic Evaluation
- April: Managing Stakeholders
- May: Diagramming & Modeling
- June: Controlling Vocabularies (and People)
- July: Designing with Metadata
- August: Proposing Thoughtful Taxonomies
- September: Arguing for Structural Resilience
- October: Proposing ROI for Architectural Improvements
- November: Collaborating in Information Architecture
- December: Managing Changes in Information Architecture
Frequently Asked Questions
What experience level is this program designed for?
How much time should I plan to commit each month?
What if I can't attend all the live sessions?
Do I need to commit to all 12 months?
Will this be relevant if I don't work as an Information Architect?
Can I see the rest of the schedule?
MEET YOUR GUIDE
ABBY COVERT
Abby Covert is an information architect, writer and community organizer with two decades of experience helping people make sense of messes.
She has written two popular books, How to Make Sense of Any Mess and Stuck? Diagrams Help. She currently spends her time making things that help you to make the unclear, clear, many of which she makes available for free on her website www.abbycovert.com
In 2022 she started The Sensemakers Club where she brings together sensemakers from different walks of life to learn from one another. Abby currently lives and writes from Melbourne, Florida where her most important job title is ‘Mom’.
"In 2025 I want to be in the thick of defining a practice while in community with fellow practitioners, not standing at a pulpit preaching to a choir who has been well rehearsed to sing along." - Abby Covert
Sensemakers face increasingly complex challenges made of information.
- Systems that defy conventional frameworks
- Stakeholders with competing needs
- Rapid technological change
- Growing information complexity
Traditional education isn't keeping up with the sense that we collectively need to make. We need a new approach.
"We need a different way to learn about working with information, data, content and people."
- Abby Covert
This isn't another course where an expert tells you what to do. Instead you will learn through active discussion, help shape curriculum as we go, test ideas in real time and build lasting connections with other folks doing the same.
This is an exercise in what we can discover together. No pedestals. No preaching. Just real exploration with fellow practitioners.
Turn Learning into Action
Build Your IA Practice
- Turn complex information problems into clear, actionable solutions
- Make decisions based on real evidence, not just gut feelings
- Get key players on board using tested communication strategies
- Design organizing systems that work for real people
- Lead meaningful change in your organization or team
Learn from Real Experience
- See how others tackle information challenges in different fields
- Dig into real projects and learn from what worked (and didn't)
- Get honest feedback when you're stuck
- Build lasting connections with other information architects
Take Home Practical Tools
- Step-by-step guides for each area of IA practice
- Watch in-depth workshops again when you need them
- Quick summaries that capture key insights from our discussions
- Ready-to-use templates and frameworks for common IA challenges
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Information Architecture in Practice
Subscribe to Club Emails
By subscribing to monthly email updates you will gain access to key learnings from this course and access to published chapters every month.
FREE
Subscribe TodayJoin the Sensemakers Club
Club members at all levels get access to chat channels, monthly moderated discussions with Abby and a 25% discount on any monthly workshops
$75/m
Start TodayBecome a Premium Member
Club members at all levels get access to chat channels, monthly moderated discussions with Abby and a 25% discount on any monthly workshops
In addition, starting in 2025, premium club members will receive access to all workshops including recordings.
This is the best way to get access to the content in this program while paying month by month.
...and yes, we know how valuable this braintrust is about to be.
$100/m
Start TodayHeuristics in Action: Simple Checks for Better Designs
Workshop taught by Abby Covert
March 21, 2025
@ 12 to 2 PM Eastern
Learn practical ways to catch issues before they trip up users. This hands-on workshop shows you how to spot common problems, find patterns in user confusion, and set up simple checks that help you fix issues early in your design work.
$125
per session
Workshop Videos For Sale
(Premium Members Get FREE Access)
Strategies for Effective Audits
Learn pressure-tested strategies for running successful information audits that deliver real value to your organization. This hands-on workshop will equip you with practical techniques you can apply immediately to your own audit projects.
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