Quality Basics: What You Need to Know to Get Started  

Quality can be an intimidating topic for many technical communicators. Quality is rarely covered in technical communication courses. Most technical communicators do not have access to a Quality guru to help them understand the concepts and available options. Because of this, many technical communicators avoid using Quality concepts that could help improve their documents.

Atkinson, Jennifer M., Donald S. Lenk, Amy Perry, Ralph E. Robinson and Roberta A. Rupel. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>TC>Assessment

Quality Management And Quality Information Products: Developing An Effective Methodology For Quality-Driven User Documentation  

Developing a methodology for creating user documentation involves the following phases: analyze need, plan, define requirements, design, construct, test, implement, and maintain. In addition to moving through these phases while creating the methodology, you must include each of these standard phases as a major section in the methodology. This paper describes how the Documentation and Training Center of Excellence used the standard project methodology phases to create and implement a methodology which tied closely to the phases.

Smittle, Linda S. and Robert C. Vestal. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Documentation>Methods

Quality Management: Fire Fighting to Fire Prevention  

Discover how a development team is transitioning from fighting to preventing fires by incorporating Quality Assurance (QA) testing as an ongoing part of the development process, rather than saving it for the finished product. Understand the pain of testing and rework at the end of the cycle, as well as the struggles during the transition to up-front QA. How did tools and processes change? What does the team have planned for the future? Learn by example how you, too, can make this transition in your company and start PREVENTING fires, not FIGHTING them.

Downs, Christina M. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>Management>Assessment

Rapid, Low-Fidelity Prototyping  

In this paper we discuss our experiences using low-fidelity prototyping as a design tool. We describe three efforts that made use of rapid, low-fidelity prototyping and share some of the lessons we learned in doing so. All three of the efforts involve the design of real software products though the prototyping involved different aspects of the software (brand new GUI or new function added to an existing GUI) or the online help information supporting the software.

Jorgensen, Linda B. and Peter D. Pagerey. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Software>Methods

RBC Royal Bank’s Online Banking Initiatives: Usable Design Now and in the Future

Discuss their initiative to make user-centered design a central part of RBC Royal Bank's Online Banking.

Schaffer, Eric M., Carolyn Burke and Nicole Poirer. Human Factors International (2006). Presentations>Usability>Web Design>E Commerce

Re-Examine Your Skills And Incorporate New Ideas To Keep Fresh

Anyone who has ever sat in an audience knows it's all too easy to watch a presentation and come away with – not much. The problem might be the content, or perhaps the technology used, but most likely the fault lies with the presenter. Although all speakers strive for brilliance, it's all too easy to be seen as dull or arrogant. So how does one avoid these labels when presenting? By continually looking for ways to change your presentation style. This is not always easy, since frequent presenters eventually develop a style that works for them in just about any setting. But it never hurts to re-analyze your skills and incorporate new ideas to keep fresh and in touch with your audience. Here are a few suggestions to consider when your style needs some dusting off.

Bingham, Chris. Presentations (2002). Articles>Presentations>Rhetoric

Reaching Out—How an STC Chapter Can Support Education in its Community and Professional Development for its Membership  

A chapter-level education committee can provide a valuable resource both to STC chapter members and to local educational institutions. In this paper, which accompanies a progression on the same subject, the Orlando Chapter’s Education Committee describes six initiatives it has pursued to advance education and professional development within its sphere of influence: (1) developing procedures and avenues of communication to govern its own operations, (2) instituting and administering a scholarship program, (3) conducting a high school writing competition, (4) providing instructional support for secondary education in the community, (5) instituting mentoring programs, and (6) supporting and enhancing professional development.

Voss, Daniel W. and Gail Lippincott. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Collaboration>Mentoring

Reading Your Audience  

Discusses ways that public speakers can adjust to the body language and visual cues of their audiences.

Walinskas, Karl. Intercom (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Presentations

The 'Real World' Experience: Academe and Industry Collaboration  

Three technical communicators -- an entrepreneur, a university professor, and a newly hired employee and recent graduate -- discuss the collaborative environment they’ve created among industry practitioners and academia.

Blakeslee, Ann M., John Moreau and Catherine M. Titta. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Collaboration>Academic

A “Real World” Look at Windows Help Authoring Tools  

Aha, you say, you’ve finally gotten permission to go online. And your boss has even allocated enough precious-budget dollars to buy the right hardware and software to do the job. How hard can if be to find a good authoring tool, you think. And then you start to receive the product literature from n developers of Windows help authoring tools . . .

Zubak, Cheryl Lockett. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Documentation>Help>Online

Reality TV Meets Presentation Fears: A Shrinkrapp

It is important to focus on one’s thoughts when approaching presentations. Often these thoughts can be based on myths: widely held beliefs that just are not true.

Lee, Scott. Presenters University (2003). Articles>Presentations>Rhetoric

Recognizing Diversity: Teaching Professional Writing Courses from a Social Perspective  

Teaching professional writing courses from a social perspective enables instructors to recognize students’ own diversity and encourage students to consider cultural and gender diversity in designing effective communications Several teaching strategies will and instructors in their curriculum integration projects Revising courses to focus on diversity presents challenges which the instructor can meet by monitoring students’ response to the material and adapting teaching strategies as needed.

Scheffler, Judith A. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Education>Instructional Design

Record Better Narration

Though most presentations are delivered live, sometimes you need a prerecorded segment to use as narration for a video or a PowerPoint slideshow. If sound quality is your primary concern, it's best to use a professional sound studio. But if time and budget concerns are also part of the equation, it's possible to create high-quality narration yourself by adding some inexpensive recording equipment and software to your computer and following some basic recording guidelines. Assuming you already have a computer with a sound card (which acts as a digital recorder), what other gear do you need?

Fisher, Jeffrey P. Presentations (2003). Articles>Presentations>Software>Microsoft PowerPoint

Recordable DVD: Worth the Wait or Worth Waiting For?

It may be a bit hasty to declare the end of the CD-ROM era, but the signposts are pointing in that direction. Although the CD provides a convenient way for presenters to store multimedia, distribute data and back up hard drives, the medium's space limits in the coming era of 100GB and larger hard drives and ever more ambitious multimedia projects will become increasingly evident. Indeed, many see the recordable DVD as the next killer app in computing – the one that makes the most compelling use of all that digital horsepower sitting idle on desktops everywhere, at home and at the office. More than a million recordable-DVD drives were sold in 2001, and the market research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) predicts that number will grow to more than 30 million by 2005. Apple, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Sony and other major computer manufacturers already ship recordable-DVD drives with their top-of-the-line models. Drives supporting the highly anticipated DVD+RW format (a format presenters should like because of its greater flexibility and superior write speed) have finally hit the market. And, as with almost all digital technology, recordable-DVD drives and media, not to mention video camcorders and software, are getting cheaper and more widely available by the day.

Kawamoto, Wayne. Presentations (2003). Articles>Presentations>Multimedia>DVD

Redesigning an STC Chapter Web Site: Creating a Navigation Structure  

The Chicago Chapter of STC undertook to redesign its web site in 1999. The existing web site structure did not allow growth. It was difficult to add new categories of information without creating long, scrolling pages containing embedded hyperlinks. Users expressed frustration when they were unable to find specific information within the site. A solution was required that would make information more accessible to casual users and enable the site to grow without major reconfiguration. A committee was formed to study the problem and come up with a flexible navigation structure that could grow along with the web site.

Gannon, Joseph P. and Suzanne D. Williams. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Web Design>Information Design

Rediscovering the Technology of English  

Although an expertise in language is our most fundamental, critical asset as technical communicators, it is the skill-set most often taken for granted, undervalued, or inadequately applied. Nevertheless, the huge increase in information competing daily for our readers’ time and attention makes the need for clear, concise, and accessible information products more essential than ever.

Collins, William L. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Writing

Reflections on NoteCards: Seven Issues for the Next Generation of Hypermedia Systems  

NoteCards, developed by a team at Xerox PARC, was designed to support the task of transforming a chaotic collection of unrelated thoughts into an integrated, orderly interpretation of ideas and their interconnections. This article presents NoteCards as a foil against which to explore some of the major limitations of the current generation of hypermedia systems, and characterizes the issues that must be addressed in designing the next generation systems.

Halasz, Frank G. ACM SIGDOC (1988). Presentations>Information Design>Hypertext

Report of the Technical Writer, 2014: A Possible Future  

My task here is to ponder the next twenty years of technical communication as a way of stimulating discussion about our current values. Since I'm an historical scholar and not a futurologist, I'm going to prevail upon you to join me in a thought experiment. Instead of looking forward in the usual manner of labor department reports and trend-searching popular prophets, let's follow the practice of science fiction writers-I apologize in advance to William Gibson and other masters-and place ourselves ahead in the year 2014, then look back, beginning with our own time in 1994, writing, as it were, the history of the present.

Killingsworth, M. Jimmie. CPTSC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>TC>History

Requirements for Embedding Macromedia Flash Movies in Microsoft Powerpoint Presentations

Embedding is based on the Shockwave Flash Microsoft ActiveX component, an ActiveX component created by Macromedia that allows its content to run in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Flashgeek.com (2005). Articles>Presentations>Multimedia>Flash

Rescuing an Ailing Documentation Project  

Some of the challenges associated with documentation projects are identified, and possible solutions are proposed. Methods for analyzing the elements of a project to reveal the best solution to the problem are provided. Areas to concentrate on include project requirements, the project team, scheduling, the project plan, and technical input. Solutions include taking action with regard to assessing timing, verifying inputs, project re-organization, and monitoring progress.

Nihmey, John and Anton Holland. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Management

Research and the Internet  

This presentation introduces your students to methods for effectively searching the World Wide Web and evaluating the content of web pages. The twenty-four slides presented here are designed to aid the facilitator in an interactive presentation of search and evaluation strategies. This presentation (our most requested workshop!) is perfect for the beginning of a research unit in a composition course or for any research assignment that requires the use of Internet sources.

Liethen, Jennifer Kunka. Purdue University. Presentations>Slideshows>Writing

Research Points the Finger at PowerPoint

If you have ever wondered why your eyes start glazing over as you read those dot points on the screen, as the same words are being spoken, take heart in knowing there is a scientific explanation. It is more difficult to process information if it is coming at you in the written and spoken form at the same time.

Patty, Anna. Sydney Morning Herald (2007). Articles>Presentations>Instructional Design>Microsoft PowerPoint

Research-Based Guidelines For Visual Interface Design  

Whether it is for a help system, a multimedia training product, or a software application, there are two key elements needed for good screen design: knowledge of the applicable research, and the ability to balance aesthetic appeal with functionality. This paper focuses on research into the specific human factors that affect how users interact with the visual display of information, and provides guidelines for how to apply the research results. The author adds information from his own interface design and usability testing experiences at Microsoft.

Prekeges, James G. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>User Interface>Multimedia>Visual Rhetoric

Researching and Planning an SGML Implementation  

The potential benefits of re-usable, portable information have many organizations contemplating a move to a Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) environment. A successful SGML implementation requires thorough research to identify project goals and requirements as well as a formal implementation plan.

Stertzbach, Lori A. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Information Design>SGML

Researching the History of Technical Communication: Accessing and Analyzing Corporate Archives  

The historical roots of technical communication are just beginning to be identified and researched. Although many of the theoretical foundations of the field may be understood by focusing on the history of technical communication, several current interests and needs of practicing professionals may also be addressed through the study of the field’s history. With knowledge of the different kinds of corporate archival materials, of their typical locations, and of the techniques for using them, practitioners can begin to study and apply information from the past to their current work. Historical research also provides knowledge of corporate cultures and enhances the identity and professional status of technical communicators.

Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>TC>History