It takes an expert in the context to tell us what is coherent and what is not
Example: if we are trying to manage diabetes
“the body” might be too coarse-grained (which aspect of the body?)
Going down to individual DNA bases is probably not particularly helpful either
Incorporate variety and diversity into typologies
Using more than one typology can become a way to connect perspectives and kick off the process of recombination – bringing together granular items in new ways
Information that no one dimension can ever capture because it’s about how things come together and giving ourselves the tools to notice that
Example: making sense of ancient pottery pieces
Physical topology like “shape” or “decoration”
But consider “celebration”, “ritual”, or “household”
Go beyond being “this pot” and “that pot”
Connection through abstraction
Concepts at a higher level of abstraction can help us draw diverse and valuable connections across typologies and items
By looking at the lower coherent level of granularity, and abstraction allows us to bring relationships back in the game
How things together change one another and what the whole assemblage can do
Example: From looking at pottery pieces comes together to prepare a meal (storage, preparation, cooking, serving) to holding a fancy party – and the purposes that party can serve
This is exactly why SenseMaker allows people to relate their experiences to a network of concepts at a higher level of abstraction; new connections
Hold your typology lightly
Typology, like all our schemas, breakdowns, and frameworks, is not “the thing”
It’s a way of looking at the thing
We hold them not because they’re true but because they’re helpful
We should always be on our guard against mistaking the abstraction for the thing itself