#13204
Understanding Data Flow Diagrams 
Data flow diagrams (DFDs) reveal relationships among and between the various components in a program or system.
Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Graphic Design>Charts and Graphs
#28797
Understanding Principles of Usability, Part 1
In this podcast, Karen Bachmann, manager of the Usability and User Experience SIG, provides an overview of the user-centered design process. This is part one of a two part series.
Bachmann, Karen L. Tech Writer Voices (2006). Presentations>Usability>User Centered Design>Podcasts
#13185
Understanding Users: Making the Transition from a Paper to an Electronic Reference System
Online technical documentation can be used as an effective job aid if designed properly. However, in many instances designers put the paper documentation online without concern for usability. To design an effective online technical reference system, technical communicators should understand how users interact with the legacy system and how they will interact with the system once it is converted to an online form.
Steward, Sherry. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Usability
#13118
Usability Bootcamp Session Plan
The usability bootcamp is for developers of information technology products who want to implement low-cost usability assessment and customer-focusing tools to ensure that their product development plans meet unmet business needs and contribute efficiently to an overall enterprise architecture plan.
White, Basil J. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Education>Instructional Design>Usability
#13177
Usable electronic agents are not necessarily ones that have a personality. Instead, they are ones who work in the background doing tasks users want done. Designing such agents means translating abstract user goals into simple, concrete actions that require limited electronic intelligence to carry out.
Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design
#23354
The Use of Narrative in Interaction Design 
What roles can narrative play in creating enriching experiences on the Web—not just for users, but also for design teams? Moving beyond the conceptual, we’ll discuss the practical application of narrative in web design, and describe how many of us within the industry already use narrative theory in our practice. Finally, we’ll show how even corporate projects can be approached within a holistic narrative framework and how this can benefit both usability and the design process.
Gallagher, Marisa, Nancy Broden, Jeff DeVries and Jonathan Woytek. IAsummit (2004). Presentations>Information Design>User Centered Design>Rhetoric
#18206
Useful Differences in Information Design Between Technical Communication and the Arts
Technical communicators may optimize their instructional material for delivery through media rather than face-toface, for users’ understanding of conceptual material over their taking action, and for adequate performance after a minimal period of learning. The arts approach instruction quite differently and technical communicators may gain a more comprehensive view of their own work by looking at arts instruction. This article compares technical communication and arts approaches based on interviews with 35 professionals.
Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Information Design>TC
#29537
User Centred Design: Is It Working?
Includes three parts--the current state of practitioner user-centred design, an overview of some of the things practitioners are interested in, and an examination of what we need to do to move forward.
Maurer, Donna. SlideShare (2006). Presentations>User Centered Design
#10631
An IBM Ease of Use poster with the message User Friendly, Friendly User.
IBM (1999). Design>Presentations>Posters>Usability
#13175
User-Centered Design of Lotus Notes Databases
Lotus Notes databases can be used in a wide variety of applications. The Information Design group in DuPont has developed Notes databases for groups of a dozen to many thousand users. We find that a multidisciplinary approach to database design works well - combining the talents of information analysts, application developers, interface and graphic designers, usability specialists, and project leaders. Working with subject-matter experts and end-users, we develop databases that deliver business value, in terms of more accessible knowledge and streamlined work processes. I will present a behind-the-scenes look at how we work as a team to deliver useful, usable knowledge bases in a user-centered design process that involves the users in novel ways.
Knodel, Elinor L. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design>Usability
#10637
An IBM Ease of Use poster with the message Users Love Simplicity.
IBM (1999). Design>Presentations>Posters>Minimalism
#13172
Using JavaScript to Develop Interactive Self-Assessments
Interactive self-assessments are effective tools for a variety of audiences; from determining one’s Myers- Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or personality characteristics to self-scoring quizzes of all types for online training. Many Web sites contain such selfassessments that help customers select from among other offerings the type of product or service that meets their requirements. The strategic design and development of interactive self-assessments can also help steer customers to your specific product line or service, or even help them make the decision to buy or award a contract. This paper looks at the effectiveness of self-assessments as a business tool and the use of JavaScript for supporting the interactive elements.
Le Vie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design>Interaction Design>JavaScript
#14371
Using the World Wide Web in Your Company’s Own Little World
When a company uses the World Wide Web for internal communication, the web is called an intranetwork, or intranet. Companies are turning to this solution because of a number of advantages. However, as with any change that involves technology and corporate culture, the advantages of an intranet come with several challenges including introducing the intranet successfully, managing it without chaos, getting the employees to use it and use it properly, as well as maintaining the web of corporate information accurately.
Mobley, Karen L. and Julia C. Stovall. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Web Design>Intranets
#14354
Using Usability “Use Cases” in Documentation Planning
This workshop presents an introduction to use cases - a planning tool which can be used for capturing a future documentation system's functional requirements as well as the overall information requirements of end users. You learn what a use case is and what recommended guidelines there are for creating use cases. You also learn how use cases are applied in the documentation development process as a whole.
Nurminen, Mary and Leena M. Rasinaho. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Documentation>User Centered Design
#14562
Visual Communication: The Expanding Role of Technical Communicators
Visual communication no longer refers only to illustrating verbal information but to all aspects of designing documents. To be effective as information architects, technical communicators must understand the opportunties and limitations of developing technologies, the basics of communication in general and of visual communication in particular, especially the principles of selection, design, positioning, production, and cost of graphics.
Rainey, Kenneth T. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Graphic Design>Visual>Visual Rhetoric
#29525
Web 2.0 101: Understanding Web 2.0 and its Impact on Technical Communication
The Semantic Web is coming and it's bringing major changes to the ways that people create, manage, deliver, consume, and share technical information. This session introduces Web 2.0 and its tools and technologies, and examines how they are changing the landscape of technical communication. Discover how Web 2.0 methods make it possible to deliver "content as a service" and to empower customers to personalize technical content in useful and exciting new ways.
Abel, Scott. SlideShare (2007). Presentations>TC>Web Design>Semantic
#21992
Web Application Technologies - Surveying The Landscape
ASPs, Java Servlets/JSP, Perl, ColdFusion, PHP. The landscape is filled with languages and technologies to make dynamic web applications. This talk contains a survey of the pros and cons of each technology as well as where to get good examples of key applications most every website needs on each platform.
Birznieks, Gunther. Extropia (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Server Side Includes>Personalization
#14077
Web Design Issues When Searching for Information in a Small Screen Display 
In this paper, we report preliminary findings from an experimental study in which twenty-eight users answered questions by performing strategic information searches on web pages. Pages, which varied in length from 100 to 850 words, were displayed on either a standard, desktop monitor (full-sized) or a palm handheld interface (small-screen). Overall, users took more time to perform the tasks on the small screen interface, with the break in efficacy appearing between 225 and 350 word-lengths. Finally, contrary to our hypothesis, participants were similarly accurate across conditions.
Kim, Loel and Michael J. Albers. ACM SIGDOC (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Wireless Web>PDA
#27389
Web Design Standards: 10 Organizational Secrets
The practices and processes that facilitate the organizational development needed to create a successful Web design standard.
Schaffer, Eric M. Human Factors International (2006). Presentations>Web Design>Style Guides>Workplace
#27495
A presentation about online community and experience design in modern web design.
Wroblewski, Luke. LukeW Interface Designs (2005). Presentations>Web Design>User Experience
#29533
Web Usability for the Rest of Us
Web developers, designers and community managers have a more challenging role than ever before. They are designing for and facilitating important online activities like communication, collaboration, sharing and socializing. However, it's hard to know how users are really interacting with websites. They can't easily observe users in their natural environments interacting with these systems. How many web developers actually get a focus group of target users in a room and watch them navigate their websites? We're obsessed with helping developers build better user experiences on the web, and we knew there had to be a better, cheaper and faster way than traditional usability testing.
Charland, Andre. SlideShare (2007). Presentations>Web Design>Usability
#27592
Web-Based Alternatives to PowerPoint
Presentation software has been stuck in neutral forever. Web applications, however, are firing on all cylinders. Some say Word and Excel are about to be Web 2.0 roadkill. Not me. The browser can’t yet substitute for those applications. But for PowerPoint? Any day now.
Udell, Jon. InfoWorld (2006). Articles>Presentations>Software>Web Design
#14345
Web-Based Prototyping for User Sessions: Medium-Fidelity Prototyping
Paper (low-fidelity) prototyping is a popular and useful method for gathering input on the usefulness of a user interface while the sofnvare product is in the early stages of development. Coded user intetiace (high-fidelity) prototypes givepotential users a better idea of the$nished product, but can be time consuming to create and diflcult to change. Using HTML (medium-fidelity) prototupes, we can quickly code polished user interface prototypes to use in customer sessions. These web-basedprototypes, which combine the strengths of both low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototvpes, can also be easily modtBed during the customer session, allowing customers to see and interact with their proposed changes.
Leone, Paul, Dana L. Gillihan and Thyra L. Rauch. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Web Design>Usability
#18797
WebWorks Publisher 6 Tips and Tricks
A presentation covering some techniques for using WebWork Publisher to produce online versions of FrameMaker documentation.
Knopf, David A. Knopf Online (2001). Presentations>Software>Web Design>Adobe FrameMaker
#14399
What Can We Learn About Web-Based Training From Other Fields?
We can borrow teaching techniques from older instructional media. Research on educational television and computer-based training can strengthen web-based technical communication instruction.
Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (2002). Presentations>Slideshows>Instructional Design
