Information Mapping

Information Mapping is a technical-writing methodology developed by Robert Horn in the 1960s. The core move: break content into small, labelled blocks — each block holds exactly one piece of information, is introduced by a clear heading, and follows a strict template per information type (procedure, principle, concept, fact, process, structure, classification).

The method assumes readers scan rather than read, and optimizes accordingly: heavy use of typographic hierarchy, short paragraphs, heading on every block, whitespace as a first-class element. It predates and informs later frameworks like Diátaxis.

Less famous than Diátaxis today, but the block-and-heading discipline shows up in a lot of modern docs even when the authors have never heard the name.