Abby Covert, author of How to Make Sense of Any Mess, teaches us about information architecture, a subject she strongly feels is a core life skill. She's seen people get fired over language and informs us that – quite obviously in hindsight – architecture is less expensive than design.

Here's what to listen for:

• 00:44 What is information architecture?
• 01:52 How is information architecture used specifically in building software?
• 04:25 Is information architecture synonymous with customer development?
• 04:52 Is information architecture as a practice pervasive and can it be used in multiple contexts?
• 06:28 How do we make sure everybody’s on the same page?
• 10:24 What does deciding what language to use entail?
• 13:27 How do you get started with information architecture?
• 15:06 Does everybody on the team need to be involved in the information architecture/design process?
• 17:49 Are there a range of emotions/feelings about people’s involvement in architecture design?
• 19:34 What is meant by a “mess”?
• 20:53 How do you get customers involved in the information architecture process?
• 24:01 Why should you consider architecture before design?
• 25:18 How can we make sure we’re going about naming things properly?