#19124
A Good User's Guide Means Fewer Support Calls and Lower Support Costs 
Good user documentation means fewer client support calls and lower support costs at GE Information Services in Rockville, Maryland.
Spencer, Cathy J. and Diana Kilbourn Yates. Technical Communication Online (1995). Design>Documentation>Usability
#28433
Grouping similar elements helps the brain quickly decode a page layout. Proximity, Alignment, Containment, Rhythm and Styling are all tools that help indicate grouping.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2005). Design>Web Design>Document Design
#21860
PDF moves toward its destiny as the full-service, customizable digital file format we all want.
Kvern, Olav Martin. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#31663
A Guide to International Paper Sizes 
Metrics, not U.S. measurements, rule the universe. Therefore, before preparing publications for distribution abroad, you need to understand the basics of ISO paper standards.
Copresco (2000). Articles>Document Design>International>Paper
#21944
Tips and advice on creating PDF files that are attractive, readable, and easy to download.
Nordling, Tamis and Wendy Katz. Adobe Magazine (1996). Design>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#29651
Heading Frequency and Comprehension: Studies of Print Versus Online Media
This paper describes a study that examined the effect of heading frequency on comprehension and perceptions of information presented in print versus online text. Results indicated that heading frequency did not differentially affect the comprehension of readers of print text while it did differentially affect the comprehension of readers of online texts who had considerably lower comprehension scores with text that had high frequency versus medium frequency headings.
Spyridakis, Jan H., Laura D. Schultz and Alexandra L. Bartell. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Document Design>Writing>Usability
#28336
Most users spend a considerable amount of time scanning rather than reading information on Web sites. Well-designed headings help to facilitate both scanning and reading written material. Designers should strive to use unique and descriptive headings, and to use as many headings as necessary to enable users to find what they are looking for--it is usually better to use more rather than fewer headings. Headings should be used in their appropriate HTML order, and it is generally a good idea not to skip heading levels.
Usability.gov (2006). Design>Web Design>Document Design
#23118
Help Strategies and Their Effect on Graphical Icon Usage
An increasingly popular component of modern graphical human-computer interfaces are graphical command buttons. Studies have shown that graphical command buttons can enhance user productivity. However, two factors, the time required to acquire a working knowledge of the graphical command set and the need for frequent use to maintain the knowledge limit the effectiveness of graphical command buttons as a user interface strategy. This study attempts to quantify the effects of four types of help (balloon style, a mouse documentation line at the bottom of the screen, a help browser, and hardcopy documentation) on the ability of novice users to acquire a working knowledge of a graphical command set. The study did not find any significant difference (based on the anova and manova tests) between the four treatments.
McAlister, Britt and Chavi Greengart. SHORE (1997). Design>Documentation>Human Computer Interaction>Help
#13777
Here you will find the world's largest selection of WinHelp, HTMLHelp and HTML related files and hints.
#19924
High-Level Design for Documentation: A User-Centered Approach
This paper discusses how information designers, especially those who are members of multidisciplinary teams following a user-centered design (UCD) approach to designing a product, can define a highlevel design for a product’s information. It will discuss what data designers need before they can make design decisions and what activities they can perform to define a high-level design. A partial list of new skills that technical communicators need for UCD is also included.
Szydlik, Frederick P. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Documentation>User Centered Design
#24872
Everyone hates forms--users hate filling them out, and writers hate creating them. But forms offer writers a unique opportunity for rewarding work. Jarrett suggests ways to improve forms--and, possibly, users' lives.
Jarrett, Caroline. Intercom (2004). Design>Document Design>Forms
#26855
How Document Design Helps English Learners Master Science
Explores how basic, scaffolded technical-writing exercises can help ESL students gain cognitive maturity, practice science literacy, improve their note taking, and use text signals and science idioms more effectively.
Girill, T.R. ACM SIGDOC (2005). Articles>Education>Document Design>Language
#29195
How Does Commerical Offset Printing Differ from Desktop Printing?
The three primary differences in offset printing and desktop printing (such as inkjet and laser) are the colors of ink and the way the ink is placed on the paper as well as the type of machinery used to accomplish the task.
Howard Bear, Jacci. About.com (2007). Articles>Document Design>Prepress>Printing
#19126
How the Process and Organization Can Help or Hinder Adding Value
Do better information products result when technical communicators are well integrated into product development teams?
Pieratti, Denise D. Technical Communication Online (1995). Design>Documentation>Information Design>Usability
#24087
The grid of a table can feel like a prison sometimes—too confining, dreary and dull. Important information just mopes inside the cells.
Valiulis, Dave. Adobe Magazine (1998). Design>Document Design>Graphic Design
#27202
How to Control the Page Numbering in a Word Document
Word's page numbering scheme isn't directly obvious but it isn't needlessly complex, either. Indirect might be a good term for it. Once you understand how it works, all sorts of possibilities open up. Unfortunately, the built-in tools that simplify the insertion of page numbers also happen to make it more difficult to tell what's really going on. So, for the moment, forget everything you've learned or think you know about page numbers.
Coan, Bill. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Document Design>Microsoft Word
#31894
How to Create User-Centered Documentation, Interview with Joe Sokohl
In this podcast, Joe Sokohl explains how to create user-centered documentation by contacting, observing, and interviewing users to gather information about what types of information they use and the help deliverables they actually want.
Sokohl, Joe and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2008). Articles>Interviews>Documentation>User Centered Design
#22591
How to Open a PDF With Highlighted Words
The goal: to launch Acrobat Reader from an external application, automatically highlighting some words.
PDFzone (2003). Articles>Document Design>Software>Adobe Acrobat
#27241
How to Set Up a Document with Front Matter Numbered Separately
Publishers call the preliminary pages in a book the 'front matter.' They aren’t always numbered separately—some books start with the title page as page 1 and are paginated continuously throughout—but when there is a significant amount of front matter, it’s conventional to number it using lowercase roman numerals.
Barnhill, Suzanne. Word MVP Site, The (2002). Articles>Word Processing>Document Design>Microsoft Word
#19501
How to Stop Writing Documentation and Start Working for Your Users
How do you stop writing documentation and instead give people the information they need to use a product? You start by understanding your users: their level of expertise, the tasks they need to accomplish, and the problems they are likely to run into. Then you can help them do their work by presenting the information from their point of view and focusing on real tasks, rather than product functions. With this background, you can develop information that is easy to understand, easy to find, and visually effective.
Bergen, Karen A. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Documentation>User Centered Design
#19940
Newsletters are one of the least expensive -- and most effective -- public relations tools that exist for drawing attention to a business or Web site. By sending out a quality newsletter on a regular basis, you can keep clients, potential clients, the media, and other important sources updated about your business. Frequency of mailing builds familiarity, and familiarity inspires return visits. Plus, the effort of creating a newsletter itself speaks volumes about your commitment to the subject. It also positions you as an expert and a valuable resource.
Writing That Sells. Articles>Document Design>Journalism>Writing
#14061
A How to Write a Project Proposal
Writing a good proposal is a very important tool for organizing time and resources to complete a project which fully realizes your objectives. Whether the proposal is done as a PQP for credit separate from the one-unit project, or as the first fraction of credit towards the one-unit requirement, a project proposal will be invaluable in structuring your ideas about carrying out your research and writing your conclusions. Some faculty use it as an informal 'Contract' to establish an agreement about the content and limits of the final project report. Also, since the project proposal is a widely used communications tool in the professional world, you will have the advantage of learning what goes into a proposal as part of your undergraduate education.
Worchester Polytechnic Institute (1999). Resources>Document Design>Proposals>Africa
#10018
This site offers material on a wide range of HTML-related topics. We hope that with this site as a reference, you will be able to create Web sites that can be used by every person on the Internet, regardless of browser, platform, or settings.
Web Design Group, The (1999). Design>Documentation
#28448
HTML tables should only be used to display data in tabular form. This tutorial explains how to create tables in HTML properly.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Design>Web Design>Document Design>HTML
#18341
Hyperlinking Documents in PageMaker
These four supertips deal with adding links to your Adobe® PageMaker® 7.0 online documents: * Learn how to create anchors and simple page-to-page links. * Explore linking to external URLs using the Hyperlinks palette. * Drag links from Netscape Navigator directly onto elements on PageMaker document pages. * Create automatic tables of contents and index links for PageMaker documents that are exported to Adobe Acrobat® PDF files.
Adobe (2003). Design>Content Management>Document Design>Adobe PageMaker
