1. Information mapping: What is it? Why use it?
Chris MacMillan
Managing Director
Information Mapping Canada
January 29th, 2014

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. 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!

5. Thanks for coming tonight
1. Desktop guide
2. Draw for e-learning
3. Training in Vancouver

6. 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.

7. 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

8. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

9. CANADIAN CUSTOMERS 9

10. LOCAL CUSTOMERS 10

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. “I need information to do my job, and I need it yesterday!!”

14. ? 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?

15. 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!

16. Usability Time Test demonstration
Testing a typical policy against the same content Information Mapped

17. 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?

18. 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?

19. 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.

20. The after: Our solution
INFORMATION MAPPING®
method

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. Two fundamental questions
Can we “structure” all content this way?
If so, how do we ensure everyone structures the content the same way?

27. 3 steps to standardize your information
ANALYSIS
ORGANIZATION
PRESENTATION
Purpose
Audience
Information Types
Research-Based
Principles
Modular Content
Presentation Modes
Publication and Storage

28. 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?”

29. 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

30. 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.

31. How does pay change due to an event
Process
159 words 

32. The same process “mapped”
131 words
-18%

33. 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

34. Fact, Principle, Process
Source
Fact, Principle, Process
Principle, Process
Fact
Principle
Fact, Process
Principle
Fact, Process

35. 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

36. 6 Research-BASED PRINCIPLES
CHUNKING
CONSISTENCY
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS
RELEVANCE
LABELING
ACCESSIBLE DETAIL

37. 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

38. 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!

39. 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

40. Presentation Modes PRINCIPLE STUCTURE FACT PROCEDURE PROCESS CONCEPT
E-business connects business systems to
· customers
· employees
· vendors, and
· suppliers.
STUCTURE
FACT
PROCEDURE
PROCESS
CONCEPT

41. 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.

42. 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 .  

43. 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.

44. Standardized Blocks of Information...

45. ...are assembled into Information Products

46. ...And reassembled for Different Contexts

47. ...And aggregated into Larger collections

48. REUSE blocks of Information...
FACT
List of approved vendors
Training
E-learning
Call centre
others?
PROCESS Purchasing process

49. Standards for team writing
L3 & L4 Process Maps
Legacy Content
Other Content
The Topic Making Machine!
SME
Writers
Writing
Enterprise
Workflow

50. 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.

51. 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.

52. 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

53. 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.

54. Technology
Services
Fs pro 2013

55. Other technologies Services Technology FS Pro SharePoint Connector
Authorit Information Mapping Kit
FS Pro for Adobe FrameMaker
DITA specialization
Technology
Services
Other technologies

56. 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

57. 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

58. Thank you
Chris MacMillan