About the Information Mapping® method
Information Mapping® is a research-based method used to analyze, organize and present information based on your audience’s needs and the purpose of the information.
Introduction video
Organizational challenges
Poorly written documentation, training, memos, reports, or online information causes problems at an organizational level.
Reader and writer challenges
Writers and readers of business documents and business communication do have following challenges
- The information is complex or technical
- Critical ideas are hard to find
- The information is difficult to organize
- Too much or too little detail is provided
Our solution
Information Mapping® solves many of those typical challenges. Information Mapping® provides guidelines for organizing and presenting information effectively to promote reader access and comprehension.
Components of the method
Information Mapping® provides a number of tools that help you to analyse, organize and present information:
| Information Types | help you to analyze the subject matter and categorize it according to the purpose for the audience |
| Research-Based Principles | allow you to organize information effectively so that it is easy to access, understand, and remember |
| Units of Information | help you to create standardized information modules that contain one clear purpose |
| Presentation Modes | allow you to format information so that it is easy to use |
History
The foundation of Information Mapping®
In 1967, Robert Horn was a researcher at Harvard and Columbia Universities who was interested in how human factors theory and other disciplines could be used to improve learning. The company's initial charter was to study the way people learn, and to develop services for analyzing, organizing, and presenting information. The initial funding was derived from projects with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Creation of the Information Mapping® method
Robert Horn's research evolved into the Information Mapping® method, and then into Information Mapping®'s proprietary, research-based seminars and consulting services. The company, renamed Information Mapping®, Inc. in 1982, was operated as a "think tank" until the early 1980s, when commercialization of the company's research base began. In 2009 the company was acquired by Information Mapping® International NV, a Belgian company.
A history of Robert E. Horn and the Information Mapping® method
In 1965, Robert E. Horn initiated the research into and design of the Information Mapping® method, initially developed as both a way of visually presenting information and a method for analyzing information to make it easier to communicate. 40 years later, The Method has been embraced by hundreds of thousands of individuals in 40 countries, standing the test of time and technological evolution.
