knowledgeferret.com is an installation of the "Knowledge Ferret" (KF) open source project. Its purpose is to help busy readers to make sense of large and complicated documents.
The index on the left hand side is a visual metaphor for the whole document. It shows the topic that is currently in focus and the context of this topic. While the user can't ever see all the topics in a document at one time, if ever a topic is visible, it is always in the same place in relation to all other topics. This means that as the user interacts and explores the document they are simultaneously building a mental map of the whole document.
While a user is reading a topic, the most similar topics in the rest of the document are highlighted in blue. These blue sections are like a 'radar' view into the rest of the document and makes connections between the current topic and other topics, possibly many chapters apart.
The search box returns its results using the same dynamic index using green highlighting. The search function is not designed to be exhaustive, but rather to guide the user to the top seven topics that most closely relate to the search term.
The "Most Read" link just under the search box highlights the most frequently read topics in a dark orange colour.
Using the "Share / Save" link, users may comment on via twitter, facebook and a dozen other social media sites about any topic in the document.
The copyright holders have given written permission for knowledgeferret.com to republish their documents.
The KF open source project, and knowledgeferret.com were created by David Pratten a freelance Information Designer.