INFORMATION MAPPING: WHAT IS IT? WHY USE IT?

Chris MacMillanManaging DirectorInformation Mapping CanadaTwitter: @InfoMapCanada January 29th, 2014

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

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?

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!

THANKS FOR COMING TONIGHT

1. Desktop guide 2. Draw for e-learning 3. Training in Vancouver

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.

INFORMATION MAPPING

INTERNATIONALINFORMATION MAPPING U.S.

INFORMATION MAPPING INDIA

CANADIAN PARTNER

• Solution Partners• Training Partners• Information Mapping® Certified Consultants™• Technology Partners

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

CANADIAN CUSTOMERS

LOCAL CUSTOMERS

WHY IS IT CALLED INFORMATION MAPPING?

WHY IS IT CALLED INFORMATION MAPPING?

“I NEED INFORMATION TO DO MY JOB, AND I NEED IT YESTERDAY!!”

CONTENT STANDARDSTECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

NEED FOR STANDARDS

?DOCUMENT

MANAGEMENT CONTENTMANAGEMENT

LEARNINGMANAGEMENT

THE INFORMATION MAPPING METHODInformation 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!

USABILITY TIME TEST DEMONSTRATION Testing a typical policy against the same content Information Mapped

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?

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?

OUR VISION: AN EXAMPLE

THE AFTER: OUR SOLUTION

theINFORMATION MAPPING®method

• 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

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

PROCESS

PRINCIPLE

CONCEPT

STRUCTURE

FACT

COMPONENTS OF THE METHOD• Information types• Research-based principles• Modular information units Allow you to organize information effectively so that it

is easy to access, understand, and remember

CHUNKING

RELEVANCE

LABELING

CONSISTENCY

INTEGRATED GRAPHICS

ACCESSIBLE DETAIL

SIX RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES

BLOCK

COMPONENTS OF THE METHOD• Information types• Research-based principles• Modular information units

A manageable chunk of related information.

MAP

COMPONENTS OF THE METHOD• Information types• Research-based principles• Modular information units

A collection of related Blocks with a title

TWO FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

• Can we “structure” all content this way?• If so, how do we ensure everyone structures the content

the same way?

3 STEPS TO STANDARDIZE YOUR INFORMATION

ORGANIZATIONANALYSIS• Purpose• Audience• Information

Types

PRESENTATION• Presentation Modes• Publication and

Storage

• Research-Based Principles• Modular Content

3 STEPS TO STANDARDIZE YOUR INFORMATION

ANALYSIS

ANALYZE AND PLAN THE CONTENT

Purpose: Inform Regiona Manager of the company’s policy for purchasing IT equipment

Audience: Regional Managers

Information Type:

“What’s an Information Type?”

INFORMATION TYPES

How do I change a tire?

How does the engine work?

Should I drive on the left or on the right in the UK?

What is an airbag?

What are the parts of my dashboard?

What’s the maximum speed of this car?

PROCEDURE

PROCESS

PRINCIPLE

CONCEPT

STRUCTURE

FACT

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.

PROCESS

159 words

How does pay change due to an event

THE SAME PROCESS “MAPPED”

131 words-18%

3 STEPS TO STANDARDIZE YOUR INFORMATION

ANALYSIS

ANALYZE AND PLAN THE CONTENT

Purpose: Inform Regional Managers of the company’s policy for purchasing IT equipment

Audience: Regional Managers

Information Type:

FactPrinciple Proedures

ProessStructureConcept

SOURCE Fact, Principle, Process

Principle, Process

Fact

Principle

Fact, Process

Principle

Fact, Process

3 STEPS TO STANDARDIZE YOUR INFORMATION

ORGANIZATIONANALYSIS

• Purpose• Audience• Information

Types

• Research-Based Principles• Modular Content

PRESENTATION

• Presentation Modes• Publication and

Storage

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

6 RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES

CHUNKING

RELEVANCE

LABELING

CONSISTENCY

INTEGRATED GRAPHICS

ACCESSIBLE DETAIL

Title more accurately reflects the purpose and content of the document

Wall of words is broken out into modular

information blocks

Labels “advance organize” or preview the content for the

reader to allow scanning

But we’re not done yet!

It’s still built on neutral, gray boxes of text - paragraphs.And they must be read!

3 STEPS TO STANDARDIZE YOUR INFORMATION

PRESENTATION

• Presentation Modes• Publication and

Storage

ORGANIZATIONANALYSIS

• 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 MODES

E-business connects business systems to · customers

· employees

· vendors, and

· suppliers.

PROCEDURE FACT

PRINCIPLE

STUCTURE

PROCESS

CONCEPT

PLAIN LANGUAGEPlain 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. Plainlanguage is defined by results.

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 .

AFTER MAPPING

• Modular• Clear• Graphical• Standardized!

STANDARDIZED BLOCKS OF INFORMATION...

...ARE ASSEMBLED INTO INFORMATION PRODUCTS

...AND REASSEMBLED FOR DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

...AND AGGREGATED INTO LARGER COLLECTIONS

REUSE BLOCKS OF INFORMATION...

PROCESS Purchasing process

FACT List of approved vendors

• Training• E-learning• Call

centre• others?

Other ContentOther

ContentOther ContentOther

Content

L3 & L4 Process Maps5.01 Address Unrepresented Injury Claim

Inju

ry A

djus

ter

(Unr

epre

sent

ed, R

epre

sent

ed, H

igh

Risk

, Rec

over

y Co

ordi

nato

r)Cl

aim

Cent

erCu

stom

er/

Cust

omer

Re

pres

enta

tive

Man

ager

FacilitateMD needs

Ifoutstanding

Ifpaymentsrequired

5.01.01Receive Assigned Exposure

(Injury)

5.01.07Segment

Claim

04 Address Non-injury Claim

Needs

From Complete FNOL

(2 of 2)

5.01.02Complete Pre-Call

Work(Injury)

5.01.05Negate orNegotiateSettlement

End of Process

CustomerSeeking

treatment

Recovery expected< 12wks

Recovery expected> 12 wks

Initial reviewTrigged byExposure’s

Risklevel

If Feedback/coaching

required

If settlement Opportunity exists

ProvideInformation

ProvideInformation

If settlementOpportunity exists

ProvideInformation

05.01.11Close Claim/

Exposure

5.01.06Perform Manager Review

ReceiveNegate/

Settlement

Not ready to settle

5.01.08ProvidePrimary

Care

5.01.09Provide

Secondary Care

Complex recoveryexpected

05.01.04Confirm

Coverage&

Liability

07.05ProcessPayables

No outstandingpayments

No paymentsrequired

5.01.03Touch File

(2nd)

05.01.03Touch File

05.05Provide

Enhanced Care

5.01.03Touch File (1st)

Customer seeking treatment

Customer not seeking treatment

Meet Customer’s Needs

Manage Recovery

Pursue negate or fair settlement

The Topic Making Machine!

WorkflowEnterprise

Writing

STANDARDS FOR TEAM WRITING

SME Writers

Legacy Content

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.

BENEFITS FOR READER AND WRITER

RETRIEVALACCURACY

+32%INITIAL

LEARNING

+83%+38%USAGE

-54%

-90%

SUPERVISORQUESTIONS

-30%

ERROR RATES

-54%

READINGTIME

-50%

NUMBER OFWORDS

-30%-83%

TIME FOR FIRST DRAFT

-75%

REVIEW TIME

BENEFITS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

COST reduction

• Capture employee knowledge• Increase operational

efficiency• Reduce support calls• Decrease translation costs

REVENUE growth

• Reduce time to create content

• Accelerate time to market

RISK mitigation

• Reduce risk by consistent documentation

• Increase safety and compliance

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

FS PRO 2013Technology

Services

OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

FS Pro SharePoint Connector

Authorit Information Mapping Kit

FS Pro for Adobe FrameMaker

DITA specializationTechnology

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

TrainingServices

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

TrainingServices

THANK YOU

Chris MacMillan604.999.2671

chris.macmillan@infomap.ca