I've added a new level of Layered Complexity to the site, which uses "help bubbles". These should both help new visitors to the site, as well as helping you understand the concept in more detail.

A quick refresher: Layered Complexity is when you offer readers various amounts of information, which they can then choose from depending upon their existing level of knowledge.

What does this mean in practice?

Wherever you work, you probably use acronyms to describe systems and procedures that your company or organisation use. The meaning of these may be familiar to you, but to an outsider or someone new to the company, they can be confusing. Therefore, it would be better for them to get the fuller description.

But expanding acronyms in this way ignores the reason that they were brought in - to save time for people that use them most. Therefore, different people have different information needs.

Layered Complexity gets around this by offering people different "layers" of information, each of a different size and detail. For people that understand a concept, the shortest version will do, while those completely unfamiliar are given the option of "digging deeper" if they don't understand the simplest description.

Let's take an example using the BBC. Three layers could be used:

Layer One: BBC
Layer Two: British Broadcasting Corporation
Layer Three: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a state-funded television and radio provider in the UK.

On a website, the acronym would appear in the text as normal, but with a question mark hyperlink next to it. The acronym on it's own (Layer One) should suffice for 80% of your anticipated readership.

e.g. BBC (?)

Clicking on the question mark will expand the definition...

e.g. BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Clicking on this new link will either give a fuller definition...

e.g. BBC (The British Broadcasting Corporation is a state-funded television and radio provider in the UK)

Or open a page with even more information.

When using paper, you can still use these different layers, but in a different way.

Put "BBC" in the body of the text, with an asterisk...

e.g. BBC*

At the foot of the page, add the second layer starting with an asterisk...

e.g. *British Broadcasting Corporation, see glossary

Finally, the third layer can go at the back of the document in a glossary. You could also, at this point, put a URL to an online resource with even more information. This would be a fourth layer.

New Help Bubbles

I've added an example of Layered Complexity to the site.

You'll start noticing small question mark icons appearing next to words on Infogineering.net. The words themselves can be considered layer one. If you hover your mouse over the question mark, a small bubble will appear with a short description. This is layer two. Finally, if you want more information, clicking on the question mark will take you to a page about it.