Spelling and Grammar Checkers  

Provides a few suggestions about how writers and editors can use spelling and grammar checkers more effectively.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2001). Articles>Word Processing>Software

Streamlining an Interface Using Information Design Principles  

Describes a process for improving interface usability.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Design>Usability>User Interface

Streamlining an Interface Using Information Design Principles  

'Information design' is the art and science of understanding problems from the product user's standpoint, and using that understanding to select an appropriate mix of graphics and text that supports the design and presents necessary information appropriately. This progression topic presents a simple, iterative way to examine a design problem, and uses that approach to solve a common design problem (using space more efficiently in a software interface).

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Information Design>User Interface

Structure Paves the Way Online

What I've called structure in this series actually has various other names, the most familiar of which are probably 'hierarchy' or 'information architecture.' Whichever word you use, structure encapsulates the relationships between the components of a site that visitors will use to navigate to the information they seek. Structure is simple enough to define, but can be devilishly tricky to create. A successful site structure must create what psychologists refer to as a schema: A mental model that visitors can use to understand where you've hidden the content.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2001). Design>Web Design>Information Design

The Style Guide is 'Dead': Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide!

Nobody, least of all an editor like me, would argue that printed style guides are really dead--at least not in the sense that they're no longer with us and no longer useful. Yet there's no doubt that printed style guides are looking a little antequated these days. Despite how useful the guides are to writers and editors, they're simply too static for most writers, and don't take advantage of computer technology to make the writer's working life easier. But if you're thinking that online style guides are inherently better solutions, think again; using the computer to find static information certainly helps, but simply moving a paper guide online only exchanges one form of 'static' for another.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2003). Articles>Style Guides>Writing

The Style Guide is Dead: Long Live the Dynamic Style Guide  

Arguing that printed style guides are too static to be useful, Hart recommends using a dynamic style guide, a system of templates, macros, and reference materials that actually guides writers through their work. The article also advocates direct interaction between editors and writers as a non-technical approach to a dynamic style.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Writing>Style Guides

Substantive Editing: Break It to Them Gently  

Emphasizing the need for clear, polite communication between editors and authors, Hart demonstrates how editors should address imprecise wording, ineffective organization, and other substantive issues.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing

Successful Online Presence: Relevance

'Relevance' means the ability of a site to present information that satisfies the visitor's immediate needs; if it doesn't meet those needs, then it's (by definition) irrelevant to that visitor. Obviously, our goal in designing a site is to make its content as relevant as possible to visitors. The key to understanding what makes something relevant lies in recognizing that relevance is never a static, unchanging aspect of the content you provide: Some things must change regularly and some must stay the same, but some may fall into both categories at different times. Knowing which information falls into each category, and when, can be tricky, because it relies on sound knowledge of the people who will be using your information and whose needs you'll be satisfying. Unfortunately, those needs change.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2002). Design>Web Design>Writing

Surviving a Busy Year: The Marathon of Chapter Presidency  

Every year, the annual conference offers potential chapter leaders a session entitled 'The Marathon of Chapter Presidency'. They're not kidding. My year as president of STC Montreal was a long, steady, exhausting haul--but a very pleasant one now that I can look back on our achievements. In this paper, I'll pass along tips learned from other presidents and tips I learned while coping with my own duties. Try out as many tips as your time, energy, and volunteers permit!

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Management>Community Building>STC

Taking Advantage of "Automatic Text" Features  

I recently began looking for a way to eliminate the need to manually perform small repetitive tasks. In Microsoft Word, that way is through the software’s 'automatic text' features: Autoformat, Autocorrect, and Autotext. In this article, I’ll focus on these features in Word, but will also discuss how to lighten the work load in other software.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word

Taking Advantage of Reflexive Responses

None of us likes to admit that we have conditioned reflexes that override our higher cognitive abilities, yet such denials notwithstanding, each of us does occasionally respond without thinking something through clearly. As technical communicators, it's important for us to accept this fact of human nature and plan for it in our documentation, and to work with the developers of the products that we document to both take advantage of the helpful reflexes and find ways to ward off the harmful ones.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (2001). Articles>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing

Teamwork and the Product Documentation Process

Get to know your new teammates. Get to know your audience. Define the product's features. Create a mockup of the user interface. Begin to document the features and interface.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1997). Articles>Documentation>Project Management>Collaboration

Technology and Knowledge Transfer: Science and Industry Working Together    

Science and technology are intimately related. The technology sector that drives the modern economy would never have arisen without basic scientific research, and that research is now being funded by companies seeking to gain a technological edge over their competitors. Despite this mutual dependence, technical communication has taken different paths in science and industry. Technology and knowledge transfer, the communication of research results to an audience that can implement the results, bridges these two solitudes and strongly resembles much of the work done by other technical communicators.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. International Journal for Technical Communication (2006). Articles>TC>Research>Workplace

Technology Transfer: Science and Industry Working Together  

Science and technology are intimately related. The technology sector that drives the modern economy would never have arisen without basic scientific research, and that research is now being funded by companies seeking to gain a technological edge over their competitors. Despite this mutual dependence, technical communication has taken different paths in science and industry. Technology transfer, the communication of research results to an audience that can implement the results, bridges these two solitudes and strongly resembles much of the work done by other technical communicators.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Technology>Scientific Communication

Ten Technical Communication Myths  

As any other profession, technical communication has accumulated its share of mythical rules of thumb, but the good news about our profession's myths is that they too contain grains of truth and insights into things that are truly important to us. The bad news is that we've also internalized some of these myths to the point that we no longer question them and have begun to let them constrain our choices rather than to help us remember and see the truth. Some communicators even overgeneralize the occasional rule to the point where it loses its validity and become dangerously misleading. (This work is reprinted at http://tc.eserver.org/32155.html, but not locked for STC members only.)

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>TC

Top Five Tips for Starting a New Job

This article offers five tips that can help you get off to a good start in your new job.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2000). Careers>Advice>TC

Using the Triage Method in Technical Writing

Pragmatism is the necessary first step: do the best job you can do under the conditions. Nobody's going to benefit if you do a superb job on half the manual, then die of stress before you can document the important parts in the second half.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1999). Articles>Project Management>Writing>Technical Writing

Validity Checks

Work with your fellow employees to understand how they enter data so you can determine the best way to present their choices; they won't forget who's responsible for their improved accuracy and speed, particularly around performance appraisal time. Of course, you'll also earn your own manager's gratitude once you're no longer wasting time fixing preventable errors.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1999). Articles>Usability>Databases>EPSS

Wash Your Hands After Reading This Manual

The next time you complain about the usability of your computer, think of this: despite patently suboptimal design, Windows computers are really no more difficult to use than your washroom, and the washrooms have been around for an awful lot longer. The bottom line--you should pardon my choice of words--is that despite manifest flaws in both technologies, each lets you accomplish surprising quantities of work. And technical writers take heed: this appalling gap in end-user documentation could just be the next million-selling 'for Dummies' book.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (2001). Articles>Computing>Help

Why Edit On Screen?  

Provides a thorough introduction to the practices of on-screen editing, including how to make corrections, insert questions and suggestions, and communicate the results to the author.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Editing>Online

Writer-Editor Relationships in Revisions

Editors, professional or otherwise, can be annoying individuals. The trick is to focus on the helpful parts of that annoyance and try to ignore the less-helpful parts.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Geoff-Hart.com (1995). Articles>Writing>Editing>Collaboration

The Economics of Membership

Members often ask what advantages they receive for their membership dollars. The answer is so obvious we sometimes fail to see it. With apologies to the kind souls at MasterCard, a few thoughts on the value of your STC membership.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Phoenix (2006). Articles>TC>Professionalism>STC

Ten Technical Communication Myths

Technical communication has accumulated its share of mythical rules of thumb, but the good news about our profession's myths is that they too contain grains of truth and insights into things that are truly important to us. (This work is a reprint of http://tc.eserver.org/10500.html, but not locked for STC members only.)

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2000). Articles>TC

Inspiring Reviewers to Review Your Documents

To obtain good reviews, you must make the process as painless as possible for reviewers.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. TECHWR-L (2008). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>SMEs

Implementing Onscreen Editing: A Four-Step Process

Four technological or organizational barriers interfere with change, each leading to an implementation step. To overcome resistance to change, harness the energy of existing processes rather than trying to fight them.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Proceedings (2008). Presentations>Editing>Online>Workflow