A seven-dimensional approach to graphics

As the media used for delivering documentation and information about computer systems become more diversified and multimodal, a new, broader perspective of the graphics and illustrations used for supporting documentation is needed. Information developers, already challenged with understanding graphic design and illustration fundamentals for hardcopy, now have a plethora of new graphical considerations in a world that encompasses multimedia, 3D computer animation, virtual reality, and the internet. This paper proposes a seven-dimensional spectrum or framework for graphics. It is certainly not meant to be a detailed how-to guide---to address in detail all the graphical techniques and technologies touched upon would require several volumes. Rather, the discussion is meant to present a broader perspective and unifying psychological framework to help documentation experts deal with the increasingly complex galaxy of graphics-use scenarios they will face in the future. Each graphical dimension addressed in the paper is progressively more future-oriented, and will require a greater synergism between participants in the documentation process, and between the information delivery technologies they command.