Information mapping

Some of Robert E. Horn's best-known work was his development of the theory of information types. Horn identified six types of information that account for nearly all the content of business and technical communications. The types categorize elements according to their purpose for the audience:

The information mapping method proposes six principles for organizing information so that it is easy to access, understand, and remember:

Documents written according to information mapping have a modular structure. They consist of clearly outlined information units (maps and blocks) that take into account how much information a reader is able to assimilate.

There is an essential difference between an information unit and the traditional text paragraph. A block is limited to a single topic and consists of a single type of information. Blocks are grouped into maps, and each map consists only of relevant blocks. The hierarchical approach to structuring information greatly facilitates electronic control of content via content management systems and knowledge management systems.

Information mapping offers these advantages for writers:

• An easily learned systematic approach to the task of writing that once learned, enables writers to minimize down time and start writing immediately
• A subject-matter independent approach that can be applied to all business-related or technical content
• A content standard that greatly facilitates team writing and management of writing projects
• Enhanced writer productivity, with less time required for both draft development and review, and
• Easy updating and revision of content throughout its life cycle

Information mapping offers these advantages for readers:

• Quick, easy access to information at the right level of detail, even for diverse audiences
• Improved comprehension
• Fewer errors and misunderstandings
• Fewer questions for supervisors, and
• Shorter training cycles, less need for re-training

Also an entire organization can benefit from using a content standard like information mapping if the method is used with the following objectives in mind:

• Revenue growth by reducing time to create content and accelerating time to market
• Cost reduction by capturing employee knowledge, increasing operational efficiency, reducing support calls, and decreasing translation costs
• Risk mitigation by increasing safety and compliance

Many independent studies have confirmed that applying the information mapping method to business and technical communications results in quicker, easier access to information, improved comprehension, and enhanced performance. It also facilitates repurposing for publication in different formats.

Doubts have been raised over the strength of the research Horn uses to justify some of his principles. For instance, his chunking principle requires lists, paragraphs, subsections, and sections in a document to contain no more than 7±2 chunks of information.[1] Horn does not state where he got this principle, but an Information Mapping website stated that the principle is "based on George A. Miller's 1956 research".[2] Miller did write a paper in 1956 called "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information", but its relevance to writing is tenuous.[3] Miller himself said that his research had nothing to do with writing.[4] Insisting that lists, paragraphs, subsections, and sections throughout a document contain no more than 7±2 chunks of information paradoxically assumes that the size of what is not read in a document can influence a reader's ability to comprehend what they do read.[3]