Information design (also known as 'information architecture') is the study of the details of complex systems. Among these are websites, user interactions, databases, technical writing documentation, and human-computer interfaces.
#14517
Defining The Control Level When Designing Hypermedia Training 
Before coding any part of a hypermedia computer-based training (CBT) system, designers need to decide how much control their users should have over their individual paths through the system. Designers can choose from three different levels of control within a hypermedia CBT system: complete computer control, complete user control, and adaptive computer control. Each level of control is suited to different types of audiences and system goals. Current research provides some guidelines for designers—showing which types of audiences and system goals are suited to which methods of control.
Weise Moeller, Elizabeth A. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Information Design>Hypertext
#23871
Defining information architecture is a reccuring theme in all IA forums, and frequently leads to re-naming efforts as well, from information therapist to experience designer. This page is dedicated to that ongoing struggle.
Lombardi, Victor, Tal Herman, Eric Scheid, Sunir Shah, Christina Wodtke, John Paul Fullerton, Keith Tatum, Karyn Young and Rob Manso. IAwiki (2004). Articles>Information Design>Professionalism
#21566
Defining Web Site Architecture
What is Web site architecture? It means laying out or grouping any similar areas of a Web site. In a re-design project for my former company, I realized the importance of site architecture and navigation when I contacted the Customer Service departments and discovered that an average of thirty-five calls a day were from the Internet users. Most of those calls were about confusing page layouts and navigation procedures (users did not understand the current navigational system). I determined that by redesigning the site architecture and navigational system, we could reduce the customer service calls by 50%, thus saving the company an estimated $30,000 per year.
Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. W-edge Design (1999). Design>Web Design>Information Design
#23046
The Definition of Information Architecture
Is the widespread ignorance of information architecture our fault? Are we really such lousy communicators? What's up?
Morville, Peter. Semantic Studios (2004). Articles>Information Design
#19171
Definitions of Information Design
The field of information design applies traditional and evolving design principles to the process of translating complex, unorganized, or unstructured data into valuable, meaningful information. The practice of information design requires an interdisciplinary approach which combines skills in graphic design, writing and editing, instructional design, human performance technology, and human factors.
STC Information Design SIG (2001). Articles>Information Design
#21459
Deliverables and Methods: Special Deliverable #8
To date this column has focused on how to make deliverables more effective, either through their content or through the tools to create them. For this issue, I would like to explore the relationship between deliverables and methodology. Unfortunately, this calls for a definition of IA methodology, which may challenge the definition of IA as the hardest question in our field.
Brown, Dan. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design>Methods
#13139
Cisco Systems IOS ITD Documentation group had a requirement to move to the dynamic delivery of documentation to their customers. This meant that the documentation had to be redesigned using a component architecture, moved to XML, and delivered through a personalization engine. This session discusses this process and the results.
Badre, Albert and Sharon Laskowski. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Information Design>XML
#10336
The Dell Computer Experience: From Maturity Model Assessment to Strategic Planning 
Dell Computer Corporation's Information Development area was tasked with benchmarking itself with other similar areas in the industry. This case study details the evolution of this requirement to the fundamental need for a strategic plan, and how the requirement was met. The steps begin with gaining an understand of strengths and weaknesses as compared to the industry and end with goals for using the strategic plan to strengthen the area.
Rosenquist, Deborah J. Technical Communication Online (1997). Articles>Information Design>Assessment
#26198
A Delta Format for XML: Identifying Changes in XML Files and Representing the Changes in XML
This paper describes how changes to XML documents and data files can be represented in XML and proposes a delta format for XML. Although Canonical XML provides a mechanism for verifying that two XML files or documents are equal, it is more often necessary to determine the differences between two XML documents. Such differences should ideally be represented in XML and this paper describes how such changes can be represented in XML with minimal additional attributes and elements. The paper describes how any changes can be simply represented using this delta format, and how the delta file has the same look and feel as the original files being compared. The paper describes how the delta file can be transformed into HTML for viewing by using a simple XSL style sheet, and by modifying this style sheet changes to particular XML file types can be presented to users in a way that suits their view. In addition, the delta file can be processed by any XML application for other purposes.
La Fontaine, Robin. XML Europe (2001). Articles>Information Design>XML
#13769
This article analyzes reports describing a proposed MagLev rail system, reports which employ idiosyncratic rhetorical devices to argue for funding. The analysis discusses ethical and rhetorical dilemmas which face writers seeking funding for 'new mode' problems.
Sauer, Beverly A. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1993). Design>Information Design>Assessment
#29469
I started The Myths of Innovation in a positive frame of mind, generated by my interest in the topic (and the excitement of seeing my photos in print). I ended the book similarly enthusiastic. While it isn't a long read (I started in Cambridge and finished before I touched down in Los Angeles), good books don't need a lot of words to make their point. Scott Berkun clearly presents his arguments, demolishing many of the misconception about innovation. For those of us running businesses or developing new products, it's a must-read.
Robertson, James. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Articles>Reviews>Information Design
#22152
Demystifying Information Modeling
The information model is a framework for organizing all the information people need.
Hackos, JoAnn T. ComTech Services (2002). Design>Information Design>Project Management>Metadata
#23889
Depth vs. Breadth in the Arrangement of Web Links
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of depth and breadth of web site structure on the user response time.
Mtei, Lianaeli and Panayiotis Zaphiris. University of Maryland (1997). Design>Web Design>Information Design
#19679
Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.
Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata
#21184
Describing Document Structure, Part 2
Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.
Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata
#22008
La Minería de Datos (Data Mining) es un término del que se hablado bastante en los últimos años. Sin embargo es sólo una parte de algo mucho más interesante: el Descubrimiento de Conocimientos o Knowledge Discovery.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2002). (Spanish) Articles>Information Design>User Interface
#18310
The Design and Evaluation of Interactivities in a Digital Library
The US National Science Foundation has established a program to create a National Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL). One of the subsidiary NSDL libraries under development is the National Civil Engineering Educational Resources Library (NCERL). The first phase of NCERL is the creation and collection of digital resources in three areas of civil engineering—geotechnical (soil), rock, and water engineering (GROW). The concept of interactivities guides the design, development, and evaluation efforts of the GROW digital collection. This article describes the salient features of GROW, defines and discusses interactivities as an emerging, integral part of teaching and learning in civil engineering education. Interactivities take place at three distinct levels: the information resource, the collection, and the context. Very simply, the concept of interactivities can be defined as the emphasis on structured representations of interactive multimedia resources. Additionally, resources are designed with rich learning tasks and organized in pedagogical collections supplemented with contextual information. Preliminary evaluation of GROW-NCERL using interactivities is briefly described.
Budhu, Muniram and Anita Coleman. D-Lib Magazine (2002). Design>Web Design>Information Design>Multimedia
#10628
The design principles presented here combine traditional wisdom with extensions to address the evolution of future interfaces. Existing design principles are based on our own experiences in user interface design, on the design experiences of others, and on insights from linguistics and psychology. We have extended these design principles to address evolving interfaces that will provide a more friendly appearance and behavior in the future. The increasing use of 3-D and real-world representations as well as the blossoming popularity of the Internet and the World Wide Web have strongly influenced these progressions.
IBM (1999). Design>Graphic Design>Information Design
#19253
Design Considerations for Complex Problem-Solving
Information design must go beyond help for simple lookups or providing simple instructions; it must assist in solving complex, real-world problems. This paper helps develop a foundation for design which supports approaches to the complex problem-solving which people use in real-world situations. It considers the dynamic situational context of information, the aspects of the information, and the data interrelationships which the requirements analysis must uncover to support the fundamental user wants and needs.
Albers, Michael J. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Information Design>User Centered Design
#10552
On my flight from Los Angeles to Hamburg I read in the Zeit, a well established German newspaper, that a major TV channel now from time to time displays a small BMW Z3 racing over the screen regardless of the underlying program or commercial. Despite the toy-like character of this idea, being part of a national advertising campaign, it can easily be identified as a 'TV-banner.' Very alien in the first place, not only because of the potential random competitive conflicts, it illustrates to what extent the perception of television has changed, and not only in the US. Taking a closer look at broadcast design one can see the influence of the web aesthetics in many places and can already assume the layer that will be used for graphics on the surface of the screen. Convergence happens not only on a technological level but also in terms of appearance. The idea that the mass-medium broadcast fuses with the web-connected personal computer is commonly referred to as convergence, and is becoming widespread.
Jenett, Daniel. Digital Web Magazine (2000). Design>Information Design>Web Design
#29495
Review: Design Is Rocket Science
Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction is cunningly released at a time when acceptance of Interaction Design as a discipline is reaching a critical mass. The book precipitates a huge turn in the creation of interactive technologies toward the more research/creative or human-centric model, approaching the subject of this change from different angles and illuminating historical insights.
Evans, Clifton. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Articles>Reviews>Information Design
#10320
Design Issues for Producing Effective Multimedia Presentations
When designing multimedia presentations, technical communicators must consider navigational aids and the degree of user control, audio cues, color and typographical elements, visual elements, and copyright issues. Understanding these issues will help us develop guidelines for effective use of multimedia.
Mason, Lisa. Technical Communication Online (1997). Design>Information Design>Multimedia
#19749
Design Patterns: An Evolutionary Step to Managing Complex Sites
When your organization's web site or intranet has hundreds of contributors, how do you ensure that every page is high quality and extremely usable? Especially, if these contributors have never designed a web page before? This is a problem that many of our clients are facing and they've tried a myriad of solutions, such as centralized approval processes, standardized templates, and style guides, all without success. However, the one solution that really excites us is now gaining a lot of attention -- design patterns.
Spool, Jared M. User Interface Engineering. Design>Web Design>Information Design
#10284
This article discusses how the use of multiple windows affects online information design by examining key concepts and presenting a set of design principles based on research and the authors' experience designing online information.
Corbin Nichols, Michelle and Robert R. Berry. Technical Communication Online (1996). Design>Information Design>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric
#24437
Designing a Hypermedia Program: Early Planning Stages
The personal computer has had a significant impact on the delivery of educational material. Hypermedia systems give students the ability to explore concepts in innovative ways. Unfortunately, it appears that many hypermedia designers have ignored the critical early planning stages. This paper provides an overview of three of those planning stages: audience analysis, system goals analysis, and control analysis.
Weise Moeller, Elizabeth A. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Information Design>Hypertext
