In Information Experience: Conceptualizing Design and Education, Craig Baehr asserts that the role of the technical communicator is not merely to produce readable and usable technical content but to create holistic information experiences for their users. The book aims to guide professionals and academics in technical communication to consider every macro and micro-level element that contributes to an information experience, making it a valuable resource for both classroom instruction and applied professional practice. Baehr largely succeeds in achieving this purpose. The book advances the discipline in a meaningful way in the discussions it forwards and in the message it presents. By explaining information experience through hypertext theory and considering our dynamic learning processes, Baehr provides designers with practical tools and teachers with usable material. The book contributes primarily to discussions of how technical-communication principles draw on insights from other disciplines and how those principles shape approaches to user-interface and information design. Although the author draws from research in cognitive science and hypertext studies, the book's central focus is redefining how practitioners and educators conceptualize information design and user experience.
Different audiences will find greater use in certain sections of the book compared to others. The first three chapters foreground theory that is eventually applied into strategies later in the book. These first three chapters primarily discuss theoretical concepts that bolster points made later in the book, but the research offers little utility for technical communicators looking for usable insight into strategies to improve their craft. Academics will find use throughout the work, whereas practicing technical communicators will find more use in the latter half.
The first chapter explains the difference between the intended experiences (IE) of the developer and the perceived experience (PE) of the user. The misalignment of these two factors is often where information experiences go wrong. When the developer's concerns are prioritized over the user, the author calls this a "system-focused experience." When aspects of information design are overlooked and users form unintended impressions as a result, the outcome is called an "augmented experience." On the other hand, hidden messages are deemed "unknown experiences." Furthermore, to clarify how technical communicators can craft holistic information experiences, Baehr explains that developers can draw on users’ perceptual and cognitive processes and indicates how this understanding will be used to support strategic brand messages in later chapters.
Baehr expands on the importance of understanding perception in the following chapter. The primary framework of Information Experience is informed by Gestalt theory, which "explains how basic human perception functions collectively, as a series of perceptual acts that can adapt and function in both physical and information-based environments" (p. 85). Baehr thoroughly examines the importance of perception and Gestalt theory because of how much the two factors enforce his interpretation of visual and spatial thinking, two hugely important aspects of user experience design. The author states, “It is important for designers to fully understand how perception affects perceived experiences and how to apply effective design tactics and techniques, which support user perception and information experience” (p. 99). The chapter enforces how much value the author gives to visual, spatial, and textual elements cohesively creating gestalts (wholes) in information environments.
Chapter 3 complements the previous discussion by showing how perception and cognition function as reciprocal processes. Cognition, Baehr writes, enables us to encode, process, and learn from stimuli in an information environment. The interchange of cognition and perception is the basis of learning, but this process is entirely dependent on people's individual experiences. The author continues to urge designers to consider how these processes inform decision making. Baehr encourages designers to present information through multiple modalities, such as visual, auditory, or interactive formats, as offering users alternative ways to engage with the same content can improve task performance. Doing this not only supports differing learning processes, it also adds variety to information design–creating a more holistic information experience.
Baehr shifts in Chapter 4, focusing on the "information environment" itself, meaning the actual physical and virtual spaces users encounter. One of the most important facets of information environment design is Hypertext Theory, which describes how content environments are linked in nonlinear ways for information products. This chapter features interesting history about how hypertext systems of older technologies inform the practices of today. The author calls this concept, technological convergence. Baehr raises the environment of an information experience up to equal importance as the user and the content–calling these three "The Information Experience Triad." The three parts of the triad all interact and impact one another. For example, a website’s structure (environment) influences how a user perceives its hierarchy and navigability (content), which in turn affects engagement and comprehension (user). Indeed, the environment must meet the users needs; developers must be able to anticipate when an information product calls for an interactive, static, or mixed environment.
In Chapter 5, Baehr introduces how developers can apply the previous chapter's concepts, discussing how successful brands are the product of meticulous planning at every level of development. These brands communicate their messages both explicitly and implicitly. A key component of a brand's success is their visual identity, stemming from global style guidelines, dictating elements like the use of color, icons, images, etc. Baehr revisits the concept of alignment and illustrates the importance of visual identity being consistent with a company's brand. He uses a modern musical instrument company making carbon sitars as an example, citing their consistent and creative visual identity and how well aligned it is for such an innovative product. Even though this chapter is more application-focused, Baehr reiterates the holistic theme and weighs visual and spatial codes as equally important to textual codes in their ability to convey brand messages.
Chapter 6 is split into two sections–the first details the tactics of information design informed by Gestalt theory, while the second focuses on the specific principles of user experience design. A core theme of the former half is balancing and understanding the difference between conventions and practices. The author says that “design conventions emerge from the interpretation of principles into specific, discrete practices and properties that specify the use of visual, spatial, and textual codes throughout an information design” (pp. 238-239). In terms of tactics, he identifies five tactical principles of information design, all informed by Gestalt theory. The first, conceptual design, is the most fundamental; it simply uses images and symbols to convey meaning. Consistent design relies on repeated elements to establish recognizable patterns and styles. Contrastive design addresses visual distinction, which Baehr prioritizes as a key factor in balancing design choices. Positional design concerns how spacing and placement create emphasis or relatedness. Finally, relational design highlights the role of similarity and difference among elements. Along with the numerous style tactics, Baehr also emphasizes the importance of accessibility in information design, as designers should be equally focused on access and use as they are focused on style and presentation. When information designers consider these design principles and prioritize accessibility and flexibility among users, they can create holistic information experiences.
The latter half of chapter 6 focuses specifically on user experience design which prioritizes the usability of information products. Baehr urges designers to consider the concrete, applied practices of interface and navigational design but also to consider the more abstract elements like user needs and project concerns. One of the methods developers can use to inform user experience design is an algorithmic approach, which Baehr describes as a cyclical model in which user input, system processing, and system output continually inform one another. User input is represented by actions such as clicking links or entering data, which is then processed through algorithms, databases, and other functions. These elements determine the output, which can be presented directly to the user as feedback or can be stored for later system processes. A task-based design model emphasizes information architecture, interaction design, and user research. User-centered design highlights the importance of integrating user preferences and habits throughout the entire information product development life cycle. All of these approaches could be used and synthesized depending on the situation. Above all, designers should always prioritize accessibility, findability, and responsive design to make sure content and the environment suits the user's situation and needs.
Overall, Baehr's Information Experience successfully reimagines the ultimate goal of technical communication: creating holistic information experiences for users. By combining theoretical insights with practical applications, it provides both academics and practitioners with tools to rethink design and pedagogy. Understanding how perception and cognition informs visual-spatial thinking leads designers towards reinforcing users' needs and motivations in an information environment. When designers use these processes to inform their choices and consider the importance of presentation and access in an information environment, it can lead to the creation of holistic information experiences. In terms of its limitations, the practical examples of successful brand aesthetics are largely one-dimensional and repetitive. Baehr also leans heavily on Gestalt theory throughout the book but does not define it until page 75. Besides these issues, academics will find the book's conceptual discussions valuable, while working communicators can draw directly from its applied strategies. Overall, the book represents a meaningful contribution to the field, bridging theory and practice in a substantial way.