Edited by John M. Carroll
SUMMARY: 'Minimalism is an action- and task-oriented approach to
instruction and documentation that emphasizes the
importance of realistic activities and experiences for
effective learning and information seeking.' Minimalism
started around 1980 and its philosophy and developments
were published in 'The Nurnberg Funnel' in 1990.
The fourteen contributions in this book provide a range
of views on the current theory and practice of
minimalism. The book includes an appendix containing a
bibliography of published research and development work
on minimalism since 1990.
CONTENTS:
1. Reconstructing minimalism. (John M. Carroll)
2. Principles and heuristics for designing minimalist instruction.
(Hans van der Meij and John M. Carroll)
3. Ten misconceptions about minimalism.
(John M. Carroll and Hans van der Meij)
4. Exploring minimalism today: a view from the practitioner's
window. (Patricia A. H. Anson)
5. Follow-up on training in minimalism: how are technical
communicators using minimalism? (Stephanie Rosenbaum)
6. Choosing a minimalist approach for Expert Users.
(JoAnn T. Hackos)
7. Minimalism for complex tasks. (Barbara Mirel)
8. Minimalism in technical communication: some issues to consider.
(Janice Redish)
9. Layering as a safety net for minimalist documentation.
(David K. Farkas)
10. Optimizing the joint handling of manual and screen.
(Hans van der Meij)
11. Minimalism: a quality strategy for success. (Karl L. Smart)
12. The art of minimalism: constructing a rhetorical theory of
computer documentation. (Robert R Johnson)
13. Practical problems and proposed solutions in designing action-
centered documentation. (Stephen W. Draper)
14. Minimalism: a case of information transfer in technical
communication. (R. John Brockmann)
15. Minimalism: an agenda for research and practice. (Greg Kearsley)
Appendix: reviews, general discussions, and applications of
minimalism since 1990. (Faith A. McCreary and John M. Carroll)
List of contributors
Index
Hardcover, 416 pages, 9.5 by 6,5 inches
Price: $45
Published: February 1998
Publisher: The MIT Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. London, England
Published in association with the Society for Technical
Communication (STC)
ISBN: 0-262-03249-x
Webpages about this book:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/book-home.tcl?isbn=026203249X
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=026203249X