Authoring and Viewing Hybrid CD-ROMs  

Hybrid CD technology, which allows publishing documents on CD-ROM and placing updates on a Web/FTP server, is the solution of choice for the delivery of time-critical, large technical documents requiring frequent updates.

Lanyi, Gabriel. STC Proceedings (1999). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

Authoring and Viewing Hybrid CD-ROMs  

Lanyi discusses technologies for authoring and viewing hybrid CD-ROMs. He defines hybrid CD-ROMs as standard CD-ROMs that integrate updates users periodically download from the Web. This combination of storage space and timeliness, Lanyi argues, makes hybrid CD-ROMs an effective means of delivering documentation to users.

Lanyi, Gabriel. Intercom (2000). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

CD-ROM Development At AG Communication Systems: How We Did The Wrong Thing The Right Way  

Time constraints prevented our team from rewriting our user's guide for online use. Early user testing and off-the-shelf electronic tools were key elements that ensured our success in enhancing usability to cancel the deadening effect of data dumping. We added menus and graphical navigation aids for user convenience. Interleaf provided automatic hypertext links and support throughout the project. We included an installation-and-reference guide to inform new-to-online users how to install and use the our product.

McDermott, Roberta J. STC Proceedings (1994). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

CD-ROM Production: A Primer  

Luongo describes how technical communicators can produce their own CD-ROMs.

Luongo, Al. Intercom (2000). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

CPI Navigator: Building an Electronic Library on CD-ROM  

This demonstration will discuss the development, maintenance, and future of the CPI Navigator application. The development of this Visual Basic application and the conversion of thousands of hardcopy documents developed on a mainframe-based processor to online help was a 3-year long process that included using databases, Word macros, and several Help prototypes.

Bottka, Hary-Janos, Richard Wrye and Allison Johnson. STC Proceedings (1997). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

Creating a Multimedia CD-ROM: Bringing a General Information Manual to Life  

There are three parts to the process for creating a multimedia CD-ROM, and each part contains a number of steps. The first part, PLANNING, defines the goal, audience, budget, equipment, team members, theme, reviewers, schedule, and outline. The second part, PRODUCTION, develops, com- bines, and tests the multimedia elements: the script, story board, and audio and visual elements. The final part, PACKAGING, creates the printed infor- mation, the label, and the text and control files that go onto and ship with the CD-ROM.

Jedlicka, Linda Barnes. STC Proceedings (1993). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM

GetSmart: Interface Design and Production Meet Editorial on a New CD-ROM Magazine

The technology of magazine production is well established. Editors have access to high-resolution print screens, and can use a wide variety of fonts, layout designs and graphics to create attractive and readable pages. Readers are used to seeing a lot of information on a single page - some in body text, some in sidebars or callouts. On screen, by contrast, the resolution is relatively low - 72 dpi as opposed to 2400 dpi. Readers are not yet accustomed to reading directly from the screen, and an overly cluttered screen or one with fonts which are too small can quickly become unreadable.

Quesenbery, Whitney. WQusability (1996). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM>Typography

Guidelines for Producing a CD-ROM Interface  

If your company wants to reduce costs compared to a hard copy version and increase convenience, for the customer, it should consider producing a CD-ROM or selecting a CD-ROM vendor. But before proceeding with the product, designers or developers must consider three factors: the data, the user’s tasks, and the CD-ROM interface. Without this preliminary analysis, your company may produce a CD-ROM with data that is difficult for the user to access.

Feinberg, Susan G. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Multimedia>CD ROM