IBM's R&D heritage spans the history of computing. Its achievements have won Nobel Prizes and laid the groundwork for today's wired world. Big Blue today spends billions annually on R&D - with phenomenal results - the company typically wins more U.S. patents than any other. But IBM found recently that key audiences knew little about its current R&D achievements and ongoing work. As part of IBM's overall repositioning, the company wanted to shine a brighter light on its research.

Network computing R&D is a story practically tailor-made for the Web, with its confluence of audiences interested in computing's leading edge. To tell it well, IBM Research needed a stronger Web presence. IBM Research asked for our help in redesigning its Web site.

Our own research among key audiences - in person, by phone and online - guided our efforts. Researchers wanted quick access to the nitty gritty on the company''s hundreds of projects. Non-scientists, such as the technology media, customers and business partners, wanted help understanding high-tech topics and were looking to explore the big picture through highlights and demos.

These needs drove our information design for the site, which accommodates both searchers and surfers. We organized IBM's formidable body of research into four subject areas and 16 topics. Project profiles, efficiently maintained by templates in NetObjects Fusion, step through layers of information and often include explanatory animations or demos, with further links for those who want to dig deeper.

The site's interface centers on the theme of exploration - both articulating the mission of research and inviting site visitors to participate. Sophisticated underlying technology, such as multimedia demos, JavaScript indexing and interfaces to Lotus Domino databases, underscore IBM Research's image as innovative and forward-thinking. The deep, feature-rich site engages users across the spectrum of technology sophistication, bringing IBM's research achievements into the limelight. The work has been so successful that IBM Research has asked us to take the next step, designing sites for each of its seven research centers worldwide.