Interests
This page contains some very brief details of areas of work that are of particular interest to me, in no particular order.
Information design
Here are some definitions:
'Information design is the defining, planning, and shaping of the contents of a message and the environments it is presented in with the intention of achieving particular objectives in relation to the needs of users.'
'Information design is the detailed planning of specific information that is to be provided to a particular audience to meet specific objectives.'
'the communication of complex information through clear language and design.'
For me the essence of information design is an attempt to overcome the traditional (and artificial) separation of logical, verbal and graphical aspects of the process of communication.
But it has lots of other implications too, notably that the purpose of this design is to impart information in as pure a form as possible. This is particularly applicable to the presentation of quantitative or statistical information. The great authority on this is Edward Tufte of Yale University and the Graphics Press. Read his books – they're remarkable.
Parallel publishing
Yes, that again. I'm particularly interested in developing systems that allow content to be delivered on the web and in print simultaneously with the minimum of additional work. The key technologies include XML and SGML. Web sites of interest include:
A related interest is the development of dual media learning materials, by which I mean materials developed with both printed and on-line resources, in which the content overlaps, allowing users to work in the medium which best suits their circumstances.
