Minimalism Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel (Technical Communication, Multimedia, and Information Systems) [Hardcover]

John M. Carroll (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Digital Communication | Publication Date: January 23, 1998

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. Since 1990, when the approach was defined in John Carroll's The Nurnberg Funnel, much work has been done to apply, refine, and broaden the minimalist approach to technical communication. This volume presents fourteen major contributions to the current theory and practice of minimalism.

Contributors evaluate the development of minimalism up to now, analyze the acceptance of minimalism by the mainstream technical communications community, report on specific innovations and investigations, and discuss future challenges and directions. The book also includes an appendix containing a bibliography of published research and development work on minimalism since 1990.

Contributors: Tricia Anson, R. John Brockmann, John M. Carroll, Steve Draper, David K. Farkas, JoAnn T. Hackos, Robert R. Johnson, Greg Kearsley, Barbara Mirel, Janice (Ginny) Redish, Stephanie Rosenbaum, Karl L. Smart, Hans van der Meij.

Published in association with the Society for Technical Communication


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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John M. Carroll is a professor in the School of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State University, University Park, PA. He has been elected into the CHI Academy by The Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI) in recognition of his outstanding leadership and service in the field of computer-human interaction.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (January 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026203249X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262032490
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,602,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John M. Carroll is Edward Frymoyer Professor of Information Sciences and Technology at the Pennsylvania State University. His research is in methods and theory in human-computer interaction, particularly as applied to networking tools for collaborative learning and problem solving, and design of interactive information systems. Books include Making Use (MIT, 2000), HCI in the New Millennium (Addison-Wesley, 2001), Usability Engineering (Morgan-Kaufmann, 2002, with M.B. Rosson) and HCI Models, Theories, and Frameworks (Morgan-Kaufmann, 2003), Rationale-Based Software Engineering (Springer, 2008, with J. Burge, R. McCall and I. Mistrik), and Learning in Communities (Springer, 2009). Carroll serves on several editorial boards for journals, handbooks, and series. He is Editor of the Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics. Carroll has received the Rigo Award and the CHI Lifetime Achievement Award from ACM, the Silver Core Award from IFIP, the Goldsmith Award from IEEE. He is a fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a look, November 8, 1999

By 

A reader (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minimalism Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel (Technical Communication, Multimedia, and Information Systems) (Hardcover)

This isn't a comprehensive manual of minimalism, so don't fall into that trap, as a coworker did. It does provide an overview of the principles of minimalism, but I didn't feel qualified as an expert (or even close) after studying it.

That said, I appreciated it because it's a collection of papers rather than the thoughts of one expert, and allowed me to explore differing opinions on some of the points of minimalism. Rather than laying out a formula for writers to follow, I thought it encouraged writers to think about the principles of minimalism and why or why not to adopt certain tenets.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful reference, November 8, 2009

By 

Castal (Socorro, NM) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Minimalism Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel (Technical Communication, Multimedia, and Information Systems) (Hardcover)

I used this book for a class on User Centered Documentation and it was great. Unfortunately it just became out of print as we started the class, so getting a hold of it was very difficult, but definitely worth it. It is a great reference book for any technical communicator or documentation specialist. It is a collection of essays on user centered documentation design, as well as user analysis. I would be very pleased if they started printing it again!