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Subject:Re: Style/Layout for Manuals From:"Frick, Geri" <Geri -dot- Frick -at- PSS -dot- BOEING -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 20 Jan 1999 06:50:19 -0800
We use Information Mapping here in my department at Boeing. They have a site, http://www.infomap.com/ on the internet, but I couldn't find any examples in a quick look around. They offer seminars (two days I believe) that are very in depth on the technique.
The technique is essentially to chunk each idea into a block, title it with a very short description (less than four words typically), and use lines above and below the chunk to further separate it out from the other ideas. We create a 2-column table in Word; the title block is 1.58" and the chunk block is 5.08" wide.
This format has its place and is not appropriate for everything. I think is especially good for training, reference, or operations manuals. The reader scans the titles (block titles) to find the information they need. Very quick.
One thing I like very much (and this is personal preference, I know) is all the white space created with this format. I don't know if there are any books out there on this technique. Maybe someone has written a journal ariticle about it?
Good luck.
Geri Frick
Technical Communicator
The Boeing Company
Delivery Systems Certification & Training
