The High Cost of Not Finding Information  

In an increasingly information-based world, we turn out complex products that are less tangible than they are knowledge-based. The very complexity of the decisions we make and the products we manufacture makes it impossible to check, test and retest them adequately enough to be sure that they will function properly in any circumstance. Information disasters are a growing threat, and one that few businesses can ignore.

Feldman, Susan. KMworld (2004). Articles>Knowledge Management>Information Design>Search

An History of Outlining (and STOP)

The STOP teams brilliant practical approach to outlining also looks forward to a number of activities that have become more convenient thanks to electronic outlining software--collaborative work on organization, visual display of a verbal structure, an iterative process of research, outlining, and drafting focused on the same document, and the large organizations need for standard templates defining the structure of generic modules. In these ways, the STOP team are forerunners for practices that even today are avant garde.

Price, Jonathan R. DITA Users (1999). Articles>Information Design>Methods>History

How to Create an RSS Feed for any HTML Page

How can you create an RSS for a specific HTML page, especially if the page-create software or web host doesn't provide an automated method. This article discusses how to use a screen scraper to quickly and easily create a RSS feed for any HTML page.

Sapir, Rick. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Information Design>XML>RSS

How to Make a Faceted Classification and Put It On the Web

Describes when to use faceted classification on web sites and provides instruction for creating a faceted classification system.

Denton, William. William Denton (2003). Articles>Information Design>Web Design

How to Make Wireless Directory Services Useful

Wireless directory services need to recognize both the limitations and the benefits of mobile phones, by making search results more to-the-point and context-sensitive.

Baker, Adam. Merges.net (2001). Articles>Information Design>Wireless Web

How to Restart Style-Based Numbering

The most reliable way of creating numbered paragraphs is to use paragraph styles to apply the numbering. This makes all paragraphs with the same numbered style belong to the same numbered list, and numbering is continuous through the whole document.

Aldis, Margaret. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Information Design>Microsoft Word

How to Share Everything with Everyone (well, a few things anyway)

We're moving toward a shared network model, where people publish and subscribe. The really appealing sites integrate feeds for a community of users in an invisible, seamless way, making it easy to see what we're all up to.

Johnson, Tom H. Tech Writer Voices (2008). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>RSS

HTML, XHTML, Semantics and the Future of the Web

Clarifies exactly what XHTML is, explains why you need to be learning about it from today, and steps through the process of transitioning to the standards based way of marking up for the web, and beyond.

Allsopp, John. Western Civilization (2005). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>XHTML

Hypertext as a Productivity Tool for Technical Writing  

Hypertext is a novel approach to computer-based information management based on associative indexing. The concept in general and the characteristics of typical systems are briefly reviewed. Strategies for applying hypertext techniques to the process of writing a technical document are examined. The way in which hypertext documents are used is discussed, focusing on a commonly encountered problem -- user disorientation within the document. Hypertext-based technical documents are compared and contrasted against their paper-based antecedents.

Lenarcic, John. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext>Technical Writing

Hypertext Functionality  

The Hypertext Functionality field studies techniques for and the impact of supplementing everyday computer applications with hypertext (or hypermedia) functionality (HTF). The HTF approach encourages system developers to think actively about an application's interrelationships, and whether users should access and navigate along these relationships directly. It views hypertext as value-added support functionality. The HTF approach fosters three major areas of research: using HTF to improve personal and organizational effectiveness, HTF and application design,and integrating HTF into applications.

Bieber, Michael, Harri Oinas-Kukkonen and V. Balasubramanian. ACM Computing Surveys (1999). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext

Hypertext Reflections  

A discussion of some of the most compelling elements of current hypertext theory. By practicing the theory it preaches, it hopes to explicitly model the theoretical interrogations of the issue.

Palmquist, Mike, Will Hochman, Beth E. Kolko, Emily Golson, Jonathan Alexander, Luann Barnes and Kate Kiefer. Kairos (1997). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext

Hypertext Technology as a Tool for Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW)  

Because of the nature and complexity of collaborative work, there is currently much interest in examining computer support for team endeavors. Hypertext technology is particularly suited to providing such support. Many current hypertext applications support collaborative endeavors in diverse fields. Rensselaer’s Design Conference Room (DCR) is an Electronic Meeting System facility intended to support mechanical and software engineering design teams. Teams meeting or working in the DCR have access to sophisticated networking and hypertext technologies. Careful study of the processes and products of DCR team will contribute to an understanding of how hypertext (and other computer technologies) can best support team endeavors.

Mings, Susan M. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext

I Know What You Mean!   

According to experts, the Semantic Web, an enhancement of the conventional web, is paving the way for new functionalities in future, web-based applications. The possible scenarios that we could face are reminiscent of fiction and cinema, where you just need to think of the question for which we are seeking answers. An invisible assistant would then perform the search.

Sieber, Tanja and Bartz, Wolfgang. tekom (2006). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>Semantic

IA Classics: Tools of the Trade in Comic Book Form

'What I need are highly condensed overviews,' I thought, 'like those comic books that convert great literary works into a few illustrated pages. They condense Moby Dick down to 12 pages and provide a version of Great Expectations that can be read in 15 minutes.'

Willis, Dan. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design

Review: IA Summit 2007: Part I

In 2006, I attended my first Information Architecture (IA) Summit. It was the best of the many conferences I attended that year, making this year's conference a must-attend event.

Gabriel-Petit, Pabini. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Reviews>Information Design

ia/recon

There is a discipline, known as information architecture; and there is a role, known as the information architect. They have developed more or less hand in hand, and up to now any discussion of one has involved discussion of the other. But now that may have to change.

Garrett, Jesse James. JJG.net (2002). Articles>Information Design

Identifying and Representing Electronic Engineering Resources: A Case Study in Knowledge Management

Current methods of access to the electronic resources offered by the Internet make little use of basic principles of information organization and retrieval, relying instead on relatively informal and, at times, ad hoc approaches. This creates problems in terms of the volume of information retrieved by a user of the Internet and the precision with which that information matches the user's information need. There is a plethora of engineering resources available on the Internet, yet no systematic method of retrieval is available to engineers who are in need of the most current information in their discipline. The Internet is often the only immediate source of the most current engineering resources. The purpose of this project is to identify electronic resources that could be of value to engineers and to represent these resources in a manner that enables engineers to make timely, informed decisions about the usefulness of the resources. This paper addresses the specific objectives the project which include: 1) the development of selection criteria for electronic engineering resources; 2) the identification of electronic resources of interest to engineers, as defined by the selection policy; and 3) the creation of abstracts for these electronic resources that will include at least two hyperlinks to other related electronic resources.

Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, Rochelle Logan, Christopher Brown. ISRDP in Digital Libraries (1997). Articles>Knowledge Management>Information Design>Engineering

If This Is Information Architecture, I Need a Plumber!

The validity of the term architecture for information work has been the source of some contention among both IAs and traditional architects. I have been forcefully reminded in recent weeks, through my dependence on information technology, just how limited the architecture of information spaces can be compared to the physical structures of our world. Just as a problem with the plumbing or the roof of your home tends to grab your attention and demand resolution, computers in their various forms can make demands on users that stretch the patience and emotional stability of even the most sanguine.

Dillon, Andrew. ASIST (2001). Articles>Information Design

IM Bots  

Campbell discusses the role technical communicators can play in developing IM (instant messaging) bots--programs that correspond with IM users--for customer support purposes.

Campbell, Walter. Intercom (2003). Articles>Information Design>Communication>Instant Messaging

Implementing Information Architecture Using XML: A Business-Driven Approach

A few of aspects that are easy to miss in the excitement of trying to implement an XML-based information architecture in an organization.

Pant, Asit H. and Aoyon Choudhary. Indus (2005). Articles>Information Design>XML

Implementing SGML: Issues and Strategies for the Beginner  

SGML provides opportunities to expand communication flexibility, retrievability, and collaboration while it challenges authors to relinquish control over document appearance and sole-ownership. Authors need to learn a complex new language, make a series of document management decisions and commit to the hardware and software needed to support this technology. While learning to implement SGML may at first seem overwhelming, following the recommended steps can help simplify the process.

Onifer-Reino, Judith. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Information Design>SGML

Implementing SGML: The First Steps  

Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is an accepted standard today. It promises to free many companies and industries from problems with document conversion, compatibility, and interoperability. Whether you’re curious about SGML’s benefits or actively planning to implement SGML, this workshop can help. As a participant, you will learn how to apply a life-cycle approach to implementing SGML. Through hands-on exercises, you will gain the knowledge to successfully plan and implement SGML solutions.

Holman, G. Ken and Ray N. Luoma. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Information Design>SGML>Standards

Implementing SGML: The First Steps  

Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is an accepted standard today. It promises to free many companies and industries from problems with document conversion, compatibility, and interoperability. Whether you’re curious about SGML’s benefits or actively planning to implement SGML, this workshop will help. As a participant, you will learn how to apply a life-cycle approach to implementing SGML. Through hands-on exercises, you will gain the knowledge to succesfully plan and implement SGML solutions.

Holman, G. Ken and Ray N. Luoma. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Information Design>SGML

Implementing the Atom Publishing Protocol

Joe Gregorio's latest Restful Web column implements the Atom Publishing Protocol as a Python web service using WSGI.

Gregorio, Joe. XML.com (2006). Articles>Information Design>XML>RSS

In Search of Salience: A Response-Time and Eye-Movement Analysis of Bookmark Recognition

Describes the effect of bookmark naming on bookmark recognition. The purpose is to provide empirically-determined guidelines for web producers on how to title pages in order to optimise the recognition of bookmarks by users, and increase the rate of revisitation to their websites.

Poole, Alex. Alex Poole (2005). Articles>Information Design>Usability>Web Browsers