Re: Information Mapping

[bj <barbara -at- QUOTE -dot- COM>]

Hi, Hans and the rest of you,

I took a course in Information Mapping years ago as part of a Course
Developer's certification.  Initially IM was intended to be a more logical,
relational way of presenting material, period.  Now it's become specialized
and, depending on who you talk to, may be UNIX man pages or a lesson plan or
whatever.
    People seem to have lost sight of the fact that it was supposed to be the
best, most useful, most logical way of presenting information.  And, of
course, depending on the kind of information being presented, that would
change.
    In my current job as in many others I've had over the years, I'm the SME
for documentation.  I'm the one who determines how information is presented
and how the document "looks" and is used.  I love the freedom of it, but I
know someone else will come along eventually, someone who is a (perhaps) man
page practitioner of IM, and say, "This is all wrong!"  Well, it may not
conform to what they've learned, but if it is "intuitive" to the user, clearly
written and complete, then it's not wrong -- it's just different.
    To curtail my ramble, depending on where you're working, there may be a
corporate version of IM, just as there is a corporate style guide.  Or you may
get to invent your own.  I would suggest looking at a couple of references,
old ones if you can find them, or spanning a variety of fields, to get the
feel for the way IM enhances useability.  Then, if you have the freedom to
create your own tailored IM, you'll at least have a good idea of your options.

BJ

Hans Lonissen wrote:

> Information Mapping. I've heard about
> it years ago and I know about the principles (it's the Unix man-pages
> idea).
>
> >>snip<<
>
> Anyone who can advise me on this subject? I really think IM is a good
> idea, but I don't know...; know what I mean?
>


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