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Information mapping: What is it? Why use it?
Chris MacMillan Managing Director Information Mapping Canada January 29th, 2014
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Agenda / What’s in it for you?
About you & me Overview of Information Mapping How does it work and how it’s used FS Pro software demo Where to next? Q&A Chris will provide an overview and answer questions about the Information Mapping® structured writing methodology. Information Mapping is a 50 year old content standard developed at Harvard and Columbia Universities and is used by companies and government around the globe to improve performance and productivity. Chris will demonstrate how the method works, talk about why companies use it, demo FS Pro—Information Mapping’s plug-in for Microsoft Word, and talk about where the method is going next in the technical communications world. Along with the overview, Chris will provide a few “mapping” concepts and principles that you can use in your work.
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About you (Who’s here tonight?)
What’s in a name? Industries Technical Communicator Technical Writer Editor Content Designer Information Architect Content Engineer Who did I miss? Financial Government Healthcare Pharma / Biotech High Tech Telecom Other?
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About me 10 years with Information Mapping Canada
Started in the mailroom at age 9! 20th Anniversary! Manage our talent Manager and sales guy And, I love Whistler!
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Thanks for coming tonight
1. Desktop guide 2. Draw for e-learning 3. Training in Vancouver
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Who We Are Information Mapping Canada (IMC) helps organizations improve performance and productivity through effective written communication. We provide training programs documentation and consulting services supporting software.
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Canadian Partner Solution Partners Training Partners
INFORMATION MAPPING INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION MAPPING U.S. INFORMATION MAPPING INDIA Solution Partners Training Partners Information Mapping® Certified Consultants™ Technology Partners
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INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS
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CANADIAN CUSTOMERS 9
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LOCAL CUSTOMERS 10
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Why is it called Information mapping?
Information Mapping sees the importance of information within organizations and the vital role it plays. We have a vision for information and what it should look like. It needs to be • well structured Clear and easy to understand Consistent across departments and within organizations And standardized so people know what to expect and how to write.
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Why is it called Information mapping?
Information Mapping sees the importance of information within organizations and the vital role it plays. We have a vision for information and what it should look like. It needs to be • well structured Clear and easy to understand Consistent across departments and within organizations And standardized so people know what to expect and how to write.
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“I need information to do my job, and I need it yesterday!!”
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? Need for Standards TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS CONTENT STANDARDS DOCUMENT
MANAGEMENT CONTENT MANAGEMENT LEARNING MANAGEMENT In addition to poor writing organizations today are plagued by a barrage of standards that need to be met: There are Document Management Systems which manage: Word Docs and PDFs There are Content Management Systems which handle: HTML XML DTD and XSLT documents Then there are Learning Management Systems like: SCORM and AICC But when we become entrenched in all these technology standards and requirements we often forget about setting content standards. What do we want our documentation to look like? How can we make it: consistent, easier to use, and clearer to understand?
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the Information Mapping method
Information Mapping® is an international and research-based content standard. Using Information Mapping® results in information that is: easier to write easier to read more accurate, and more reusable. Really? Show me!
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Usability Time Test demonstration
Testing a typical policy against the same content Information Mapped
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Usability Time Test: “Before” Question
Find the answer to this question and raise your hand: Which approved vendor should I call when purchasing IT audit services?
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Usability Time Test: “after” Question
Find the answer to this question and raise your hand: What are the IT Mangers responsibilities in the purchasing process?
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Our vision: an example Information Mapping sees the importance of information within organizations and the vital role it plays. We have a vision for information and what it should look like. It needs to be • well structured Clear and easy to understand Consistent across departments and within organizations And standardized so people know what to expect and how to write.
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The after: Our solution
INFORMATION MAPPING® method
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Universities of Harvard and Columbia 40 years of experience
Robert Horn Universities of Harvard and Columbia 40 years of experience Cognitive Psychology Learning Theory Instructional Design Human Factors Engineering Communication Effectiveness Message Design Usability Media Selection
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Components of the method
Information types Research-based principles Modular information units SIX INFORMATION TYPES Help you to analyze the subject matter and categorize it according to its purpose for the audience PROCEDURE CONCEPT PROCESS STRUCTURE PRINCIPLE FACT To give you the briefest overview, there are three main Components to the Information Mapping Methodology. The first is Defining Information Types The Theory of Information Types is probably the best-known result of Robert Horn’s research. Horn analyzed the business-related content that people work with– and he found that about 80-90% of business-related content can be categorized into specific information types. The Information Mapping method recognizes 6 Information Types. How you classify a given piece of content depends entirely on one factor: its utility to the user. Optional, if you need to quickly run through the list: Procedure: steps folllowed by an individual to complete a task Process: change that takes place over time Principle: rules or policies Concept: introduces a new idea Structure: describes something with boundaries Fact: empirical information that can be presented without supporting evidence.
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Components of the method
Information types Research-based principles Modular information units SIX RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES Allow you to organize information effectively so that it is easy to access, understand, and remember CHUNKING CONSISTENCY RELEVANCE INTEGRATED GRAPHICS LABELING ACCESSIBLE DETAIL Secondly, The IM Methodology makes use of 6 research based principles for organizing information in ways that support user performance. Each one of these principles can be applied to help writers to manage and organize their information. The IM Methodology provides strategies to follow for applying each of them. Optional, if you need to briefly explain each principle. I would recommend just describing the first 3 and mentioning that the rest are equally useful for writers who want to create good business communications. The Chunking Principle tells us to group information into small, manageable chunks. (Cognitive research says that 7 plus or minus 2 items is often optimal for users.) The Relevance Principle says that when we chunk our information, we should limit each chunk of information to a single topic, purpose or idea. The Labeling Principle tells you to “tag” your chunk of relevantly assembled content with a label that describes what’s in the chunk. This helps users to scan through a document for the specific item they need, at the right level of detail. The research also shows that labels are beneficial from a cognitive point of view: they act as advance organizers, setting up the mind to be receptive to what will come next– so they improve retention of information and support more effective learning. The Consistency Principle tells us that users perform better when writers are consistent in their use of terminology and formats. Integrated Graphics says that use of graphics, including tables and bulleted lists as well as other illustrations, can help users to quickly access and better understand the information you’re presenting. The Accessible Detail Principle tells us to structure our information so that users can find the information they need and skip what they don’t need– as a writer, you want to enable them to “drill down” to the information they’re looking for, at the appropriate level of detail. This is especially important if the audience you’re writing for includes novices as well as more experienced users.
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Components of the method
Information types Research-based principles Modular information units BLOCK A manageable chunk of related information. And Finally, the IM Methodology defines new “modular units of information”. When Bob Horn developed the Method, his research showed that traditional paragraphs weren’t very effective for presenting content in user-focused ways. To correct this issue he replaced the paragraph with two new units of Information: Information Blocks and Information Maps. An Information Block is simply a manageable chunk of related information, limited to a single main idea. A block can contain a sentence or sentences, a list, a table, or a graphic– as long as it’s limited to a single main idea. A block always has a label that describes its contents, and it’s separated from other information on the screen or page– in this case, the lines above and below the information serve as the separators.
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Components of the method
Information types Research-based principles Modular information units MAP A collection of related Blocks with a title An Information Map is a collection of related Information Blocks. Just as the Blocks each have labels, the Map has a title that describes its contents. This Map is about a Hearing Conservation Program. Notice that the second Block from the top is the one we saw in the previous slide, which lists the Program’s components. The other Blocks provide additional information relating to the Program.
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Two fundamental questions
Can we “structure” all content this way? If so, how do we ensure everyone structures the content the same way?
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3 steps to standardize your information
ANALYSIS ORGANIZATION PRESENTATION Purpose Audience Information Types Research-Based Principles Modular Content Presentation Modes Publication and Storage
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3 steps to standardize your information
Purpose: Inform Regiona Manager of the company’s policy for purchasing IT equipment ANALYSIS ANALYZE AND PLAN THE CONTENT Audience: Regional Managers Information Type: “What’s an Information Type?”
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Information types PROCEDURE PROCESS PRINCIPLE CONCEPT STRUCTURE FACT
Should I drive on the left or on the right in the UK? How does the engine work? What is an airbag? PROCEDURE PROCESS PRINCIPLE What are the parts of my dashboard? CONCEPT What’s the maximum speed of this car? STRUCTURE How do I change a tire? FACT
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Process & Procedure They are not synonyms!
Process: A series of events or stages that occurs over time and has a specific result. Procedure: A set of steps that a person performs to accomplish a task.
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How does pay change due to an event
Process 159 words
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The same process “mapped”
131 words -18%
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3 steps to standardize your information
Purpose: Inform Regional Managers of the company’s policy for purchasing IT equipment ANALYSIS ANALYZE AND PLAN THE CONTENT Audience: Regional Managers Information Type: Fact Principle Proedures Proess Structure Concept
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Fact, Principle, Process
Source Fact, Principle, Process Principle, Process Fact Principle Fact, Process Principle Fact, Process
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3 steps to standardize your information
Break up the content into modules of information so that each module is self-contained about one limited topic serves one purpose manageable in size (7 +/-2 items) explicitly labeled ANALYSIS Purpose Audience Information Types ORGANIZATION PRESENTATION Presentation Modes Publication and Storage Research-Based Principles Modular Content
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6 Research-BASED PRINCIPLES
CHUNKING CONSISTENCY INTEGRATED GRAPHICS RELEVANCE LABELING ACCESSIBLE DETAIL
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Title more accurately reflects the purpose and content of the document
Wall of words is broken out into modular information blocks But we’re not done yet! Labels “advance organize” or preview the content for the reader to allow scanning
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It’s still built on neutral, gray boxes of text - paragraphs
It’s still built on neutral, gray boxes of text - paragraphs. And they must be read!
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3 steps to standardize your information
ORGANIZATION ANALYSIS Purpose Audience Information Types Research-Based Principles Modular Content A set of graphics that display the essence of each Information Type visually reflect what that Type means. PRESENTATION Presentation Modes Publication and Storage
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Presentation Modes PRINCIPLE STUCTURE FACT PROCEDURE PROCESS CONCEPT
E-business connects business systems to · customers · employees · vendors, and · suppliers. STUCTURE FACT PROCEDURE PROCESS CONCEPT
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Plain language Plain language is communication your audience can understand. Material written in plain language allows your readers to • find what they need • understand what they find, and • use what they find to meet their needs. No one definition or technique defines plain language. Plain language is defined by results.
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B&A Plain Language When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area. If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away .
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AFTEr Mapping Modular Clear Graphical Standardized!
Information Mapping sees the importance of information within organizations and the vital role it plays. We have a vision for information and what it should look like. It needs to be • well structured Clear and easy to understand Consistent across departments and within organizations And standardized so people know what to expect and how to write.
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Standardized Blocks of Information...
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...are assembled into Information Products
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...And reassembled for Different Contexts
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...And aggregated into Larger collections
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REUSE blocks of Information...
FACT List of approved vendors Training E-learning Call centre others? PROCESS Purchasing process
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Standards for team writing
L3 & L4 Process Maps Legacy Content Other Content The Topic Making Machine! SME Writers Writing Enterprise Workflow
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Two fundamental questions
Can we “structure” all content this way? If so, how do we ensure everyone structures the content the same way? YES WE CAN!! It is possible to Info-Map most content and it is easy to learn and apply.
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Benefits for reader and writer
INITIAL LEARNING +83% +38% USAGE RETRIEVAL ACCURACY +32% -90% SUPERVISOR QUESTIONS -83% TIME FOR FIRST DRAFT -75% REVIEW TIME ERROR RATES -54% READING TIME -50% NUMBER OF WORDS -30% -30% -54% During our 40 years in business, clients ranging from the US Army to American Express, Marathon Oil, AT&T and many others have done independent evaluations of the effectiveness of the IM Method. The results they’ve shared with us include: Significant reductions in search time, coupled with large gains in accuracy– employees find the right information, much more quickly. Usage– that is, reliance on the documentation– went up in this study by 38%. This means that people weren’t asking somebody else for help, or worse, just taking a wild guess at how to do their jobs. Initial learning is strengthened, meaning that training is more effective and takes less time. Also, there’s less need for retraining. Supervisors spend 90% less time answering the same questions again and again Error rates reduce by over 50% so there’s less need for re-work Reductions in reading time means employees can be more productive, rather than spending time painfully navigating their way through a confusing manual or Web site. Finally, applying our Method usually results in significantly reduced word count, which means that information is easier to work with as well as easier to control and maintain.
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Benefits for organizations
REVENUE growth Reduce time to create content Accelerate time to market COST reduction Capture employee knowledge Increase operational efficiency Reduce support calls Decrease translation costs RISK mitigation Reduce risk by consistent documentation Increase safety and compliance Cost reduction Reusing modular content Reducing translation costs Reducing time and complexity of managing changes Revenue growth Reducing time to create content Accelerates time to market Risk mitigation Reduce risk by consistent documentation Increase safety and compliance
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CHECKING IN: About you & me Overview of Information Mapping
How does it work and how it’s used FS Pro software demo Where to next? Q&A Chris will provide an overview and answer questions about the Information Mapping® structured writing methodology. Information Mapping is a 50 year old content standard developed at Harvard and Columbia Universities and is used by companies and government around the globe to improve performance and productivity. Chris will demonstrate how the method works, talk about why companies use it, demo FS Pro—Information Mapping’s plug-in for Microsoft Word, and talk about where the method is going next in the technical communications world. Along with the overview, Chris will provide a few “mapping” concepts and principles that you can use in your work.
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Technology Services Fs pro 2013
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Other technologies Services Technology FS Pro SharePoint Connector
Authorit Information Mapping Kit FS Pro for Adobe FrameMaker DITA specialization Technology Services Other technologies
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Certification: Information mapping professional™
Training Services Certification: Information mapping professional™ Become certified as Information Mapping® Professional™ (IMP) to demonstrate mastery of the fundamental principles and concepts of the Information Mapping® method. Online exam Included in all training programs with Foundation + Master Valid 3-year
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Certification: Information mapping certified consultant ™
Training Services Certification: Information mapping certified consultant ™ Become an Information Mapping® Certified Consultant™ (IMCC) and join a growing global network of those using Info-Mapping® in their commercial business. Written and verbal exam License to sell Information Mapping services Valid 1-year
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Thank you Chris MacMillan
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