Information Mapping is a technique of dividing and labeling information for easy comprehension, use, and recall. It was originally developed by Robert E. Horn.
Overview
Information Mapping™ is a research-based approach for creating structured documents and communications that are clear, concise, and user-focused. This is done by analyzing, organizing, and presenting information based on audience needs and the purpose of the information. The method is both subject-matter and media independent.
Robert Horn and his colleagues identified dozens of common documentation types, then analyzed them into structural components called information blocks. They identified over 200 common block types. These were assembled into “information types” using “information maps”.
According to Mr. Horn and his colleagues, the six most common information types are: Procedure, Process, Principle, Concept, Fact, and Structure, with the goal being to produce measurable results, changing the way people write and work.
Mr. Horn’s research-based, structured authoring methodology (The Method) forms the foundation of all of his company’s (Information Mapping™, Inc.) services: content development and management tools, professional services, and training. Institutions such as the University of Maryland’s Human Computer Interaction (HCI) program and organizations such as the Parsons Institute for Information Mapping™ have extended this methodology to include greater graphic design, visualization, technology, and knowledge management capabilities into the process of mapping information.
The concept of information Mapping™ has close ties to the fields of: information visualization, information architecture, graphic design, information design, and data analysis. The field has responded to advances in Information Technology to also closely tie to: user experience design, graphic user interface design, and knowledge management systems.