Use maps
Image maps with organizing layouts can help the reader understand and use the document's structure.
Last modified: 10/3/98
Maps help the reader understand organization
Two-dimensional images that represent the organization of the pages in a document can help the reader understand that organization. They can use that understanding when trying to navigate to parts of the document that interest them.
Maps can help navigation
By using clickable image maps, such that when readers click on the representation of a particular page in the document they are immediately taken there, allow them to navigate directly. This gives them a better feeling for the document, more like a physical item like a book with pages than an endless scroll of paper.
Maps need design
It is important that the maps provide design that makes the organization clear. For example, the use of grouping and naming of pages in the map can reinforce the relationship between various pages. Pages grouped together near the text "background" would clearly be different than those near the text "conclusion" or "action items".
Lists are maps
Lists are a simple form of map. They rely on order and the words in the list itself to provide the information. The organization of a list is very simple.
Two-dimensional maps are more powerful
For more complex relationships, such as grouping and hierarchy, two-dimensional maps can be more expressive. These can range from simple trees, to constellations and neighborhoods. In two-dimensional maps, unlike lists, the use of "landmarks" or backgrounds that provide the context can be more important than just the page names themselves.
The maps that are produced as part of the Trellix 1.0 product are a good example of 2-D maps. Even better are the maps like Trellix 2.0 produces, where the page you are currently viewing has a different, "You Are Here" look. (See the Trellix site (www.trellix.com) for information about Trellix 2.0.)
See the Example of a 2-D "You are here" map
If you haven't experienced a good, two-dimensional, "You are here" style map, make sure to see our example. You'll see how a map can give you a feeling of the entire document and get rid of some of that "lost in cyberspace" feeling.