Content produced for research products for professionals has traditionally been heavy on plain text, such as an explanation of the reasoning behind a legal concept or how a particular tax is applied. Beyond the use of a few tables (perhaps more than a few in the area of tax and accounting), little of this content could be described as “visual.” The idea of presenting content in a more visual style has traditionally been limited to graphic design that might make the text more readable (e.g., margins, bullet lists, asides). However, the concept of visual learning suggests the use of more visual-oriented alternatives can more effectively communicate content to customers. Read further >

The idea of utilizing big data has been getting a lot of attention lately. It promises companies the ability to respond to changes in the marketplace by collecting, storing, and analyzing the ever-increasing amount of data about the behavior of its customers to make quicker and more well-informed decisions. It was not that long ago that a publisher would be forced to speculate about which parts of a print product influenced a customer’s decision to purchase it or which parts they found most useful. The move from print to electronic, and then to mobile, has brought with it vast amounts of data about its customers from an increasing number of sources, including online usage, sensors, and other smart devices. The challenge for companies facing this data-driven future is in finding a way to make use of this flood of data, rather than being overloaded by it. Read further >

Often it seems much of the terminology used to describe innovations or trends in legal publishing are referring to very similar concepts. I recently started thinking about this more after reading a blog post by Christine Kirchberger entitled Law as an App. The post addresses a discussion brewing among some legal informatics experts on the concept of “law as a service” and asserts that the concept is about focusing on how apps or other software might use legal information to directly warn users of potential legal issues before they arise and advise how to avoid them. Read further >