Information Anxiety 2 (Hayden Que)

337 Pages·2000·17.06 MB·English

by  Richard S Wurman

A decade after the publication of what has
become a cult guidebook to understanding,
Richard Saul Wurman, in this expanded &
updated volume, gives clarity to confusion with
new maps for navigating through a stream of
bytes that leaves us inundated with data but
INFORMATIONANXIETY2
starved for the tools & patterns that give them
meaning. In reality there has not been an infor-
mation explosion, but rather an explosion
of non-information, or data that simply
doesn’t inform.
with additional research & writing by Loring Leifer & David Sume
Karen Whitehouse, editor & Michael J. Nolan, information designer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INFORMATIONANXIETY2
Copyright © 2001 by Richard Saul Wurman
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to
the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.
Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained
herein.
International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-2410-3
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-100600
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: November, 2000
01 00 99 4 3 2 1
Trademarks
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been
appropriately capitalized. Que cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term
in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.
Warning and Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no
warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The author(s) and
the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to
any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book.
Indexing by Aamir Burki and Lisa Wilson
Proofreading by Marta Partington
Cover production design by Aren Howell
201 W. 103rd Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46290
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INFORMATIONANXIETY2
Dedicated to Tony, Vanessa, Reven,
Ling & Joshua my children
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
INFORMATION ANXIETY IN THE
INTERNET AGE
S
ince Information Anxiety was published in
1989, the sky has not fallen. We still use
centuries-old languages to communicate, and
we do not speak in the zeroes and ones of
binary language. Humans have shaped
computers more than they have shaped us. If
the reverse were the case, we all would be
memorizing Unix commands.
THE AGE OF ALSO 3
We live in an age of alsos, adapting to alternatives.
BIT LITERACY by Mark Hurst 6
THE RISE OF THE PROSUMER 8
Because we have greater access to information, many of us have
become more involved in researching and making our own
decisions, rather than relying on experts.
ALTERATIONS ON THE INFORMATION LANDSCAPE 8
The opportunity is that there is so much information, the
catastrophe is that 99 percent of it isn’t meaningful or under-
standable.
PLUGGED IN OR PLUGGED UP? 9
We need to rethink how we present information because the
information appetites of people are much more refined.
WARP-SPEED RULES 10
Success in our connected world requires that we isolate the specific
information we need and get it to those we work with.
THE INTERNET IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER 13
If information is the product of the Digital Age, then the Internet
is the transportation vehicle. That means more misinformation.
THE NON-INFORMATION EXPLOSION 14
The sheer volume of available informatgion and the manner in
which it is often delivered render much of it useless to us.
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INFORMATIONANXIETY2
FORMS OF INFORMATION ANXIETY by Nathan Shedroff 15
THE GREATEST TEACHING IS PERMISSION-GIVING 17
The best teachers give us permission to get in touch with ourselves
and become more of us.
CLARIFICATION, NOT SIMPLIFICATION 17
Everyone needs a personal measure to distinguish useful
information from raw data.
THE TED CONFERENCE 18
I refer to my TED Conference as the dinner party I always wanted
to have, but couldn’t.
ORDER DOESN’T EQUAL UNDERSTANDING 20
To entertain the radical idea that understanding might involve
accepting chaos threatens the foundations of our existence.
ACCESS IS THE ANTIDOTE TO ANXIETY 21
I am concerned with public access to experience, and how to use
information to give people new ways to look at their environment
and their lives.
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THE BUSINESS OF UNDERSTANDING
W
hen I came up with the concept and
the name information architecture in
1975, I thought everybody would join in and
call themselves information architects. But
nobody did—until now. Suddenly, it’s become
an ubiquitous term. Of course, as is the case
with any ubiquitous label, there are some
information architects who legitimately meet
the definition of the term, but there are lots
who don’t.
ODE TO IGNORANCE 24
The most essential prerequisite to understanding is to be able to
admit when you don’t understand something.
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AN OVERVIEW OF UNDERSTANDING by Nathan Shedroff 27
G
TU
RA AESTHETIC SEDUCTIONS 30
A D
N A Writers and graphic designers seem preoccupied with stylistic and
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ROA aesthetic conerns rather than making information understandable
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ment Trying to wade through information without a sense of its
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m C A
LO D GUIDE TO THE INTERNET by Nigel Holmes 33
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o411.co DIXO GU TNHeEg aStPivAeC Esp BaEcTe—WEthENe sTiHleInNcGeS between friends, breaks betwee4n6
m HEA meetings, space between buildings—is full of the opportunity for
AD
G LA understanding. We learn through context, through what surrounds,
O T L
governinsularawdnoycceeetroqsru,si,p nmuerpnshteasr,hmosapciietasls, Vlet yoEur fingRerNHM, ELNEATGJAALR,A MIiwTNnHafE oEyTXr HaSImCnEMAd sB,A N yaERon GYTudIE ’N YolLlNpE LopLOIfNLotWeOGsne W sP If SaAi n nPGTAd iHEd GaESe E na EPS.e NRC®w ODAo oJnNrEs DibCd eTBetrEt edYroO wiNnagDy .something the wron454819g
officmesent The best way to accomplish any endeavor is to determine its
essential purpose. For every problem, there are many hows but
o411.co DIXO only one what. The what should precede proposed solutions.
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INFORMATIONANXIETY2
3
LAND MINES IN THE
UNDERSTANDING FIELD
S
ince the advent of the Industrial Age, we
have increased our use of a terrific word:
more. It really worked for everything. When our
roads became crowded, we built more roads.
When our cities became unsafe, we hired more
police officers, ordered more police cars, and
built more prisons.
POLKA DOTS ON AN EDSEL 54
Don’t waste your time trying to improve ideas that didn’t work
in the first place.
TRAPS, DISEASES, AND MALAISES 55
Misnomers, myths, and diseases afflicting information.
LOOK OUT FOR THESE INSTRUCTORS 61
Profiles of various instruction-givers.
Cover Your Ass
I’m an Important Person, I Don’t Have Time to Explain
Crisis Managers
Mr./Mrs. Taskus Interruptus
Over-the-Shoulder Supervisor
Why Don’t You Let Me Do That for You?
If You Love Me, You’ll Do This, or Management by Guilt
Free Associators
The Cro-Magnon Manager
Do As I Mean, Not As I Say
Henry/Henrietta Higgins
The Carrot-on-the-Stick Wavers
Ping-Pongers
INSTRUCTION-TAKERS GUARANTEED TO GET IT WRONG 68
Do you recognize yourself in any of these profiles?
Just Give Me the Details
The Pacifist
Toadying Sycophants
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Terminally Obtuse
I’m Just All Thumbs
Wild Goose-Chasers
Style Meisters
Don’t Boss Me Around
Too Smart for Instructions
The Paper Warrior
The Overkiller
Guaranteed to Miss the Forest for the Trees
Sure, Oh Shit
MANAGEMENT STYLE VERSUS WORK STYLE 72
Recognizing effective and ineffective pairings of instruction-givers
and -takers.
THESE COMBINATIONS WORK WELL TOGETHER… 73
THESE COMBINATIONS SPELL TROUBLE 75
DRAWING THE LINE 78
Seduction endangers clarity. Finding your way through
mistakes and failures to clarity. Ideas and images.
WHAT YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED YOU CANNOT IMPROVE 79
4
AN AGE OF CONNECTIONS:
INTEGRATED MESSAGES
W
hat do escalators, bananas, bathroom
stalls, and chair backs at movie theatres
have in common? They are all new media for
marketing. Advertising messages have become
so pervasive that the world surface area without
them is disappearing faster than the rain forest
in South America.
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INFORMATIONANXIETY2
MAKING YOUR OWN CONNECTIONS FIRST 82
The Internet has presented us with a new set of concepts outside
of the prior experience of many of us, but new situations usually
only seem hopelessly complex until we familiarize ourselves
with them.
REMEMBERING WHAT IT’S LIKE NOT TO KNOW 83
We need to hone our ability to understand what it’s like not to
understand in order to communicate more clearly.
CREATING INTEREST 85
Learning can be defined as the process of remembering what you
are interested in.
INTEREST REQUIREMENTS 86
You can follow any interest on a path through all knowledge.
SAVVY COMPANIES DRIVE CONNECTION OPPORTUNITIES 88
Integrated, consistent communications are critical in our age of
expanded connections.
CHANNEL CONFLICT 92
Too much integration can lead to channel conflict, or
disintermediation.
DESIGN IN THE DIGITAL AGE 93
In this Digital Age we need to focus on the connections among
all design elements: medium, words, pictures, and sound.
QUALITY CHECK FOR YOUR INFORMATION CONNECTION 94
The quality of information is not only judged by its accuracy and
clarity, but also by ease of navigation and interest.
CONNECTING YOUR MESSAGES 96
Information should be specifically designed for each medium,
but ideas should be consistent.
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