#14349
Usability: The Basics and Beyond 
Usability experts will lead a progression for technical communicators or managers who may have some usability responsibility. In this progression, session participants with some knowledge of usability principles and practices will expand their knowledge of usability.
Stovall, Julia C. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Usability>TC
#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
#18222
Using Multiple Communication Methods to Disseminate Information About Technical Research
Technology transfer was a critical component of a research effort designed to develop, test, and evaluate new electronics assembly methods and cleaning techniques to eliminate the use of ozone depleting substances in military hardware manufacturing. Providing technical direction to small and mediumsized companies was critical to not only ensure that the electronic hardware produced conforms to military standards, but to also assure continued reliability of “mission critical” military and space electronic hardware manufactured with these new materials. Four technology transfer methods were initially targeted to transfer information, including (1) newsletters (2) courses, seminars, and conferences (3) bulletin boards, networks (4) satellite broadcasts.
Pierson, John and Leigh F. McElvaney. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Collaboration>TC
#14532
The Way Of User Interface Design
Good user interface design requires a marriage of technical communication, human factors, graphic design, and cognitive psychology. A good user interface designer (or visual designer) is a combination of writer and artist, therapist and engineer. But, one of the central skills in this fields is communication. The user interface is communication—it is the primary link between the person using the product and the actual code making the screens move and respond.
Towey, Ingrid K. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>User Interface>TC
#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
#24365
Information session, suitable for general audience. (40 slides)
Walsh, Tina K. Read Pen Inc. (2004). Presentations>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
#23223
What is a Technical Communicator? 
Why use technical communicators? Why join the ISTC? How to become a technical communicator? This presentation should take approximately 40 minutes to complete and is designed for an audience who are not aware of the existence of the profession.
#14528
If we look at many publications organizations today, we find many examples of process gone awry. Deadlines are routinely missed, original schedules are considered impossible, little or no planning occurs, plans that are written are ignored, project management is virtually unknown, and writers madly write and rewrite until someone blows the whistle and insists that the whole mess be shipped to the unwitting customers. This scenario is so common that many technical communicators hardly believe any other is possible.
Hackos, JoAnn T. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>TC>Methods
#13125
Information-rich interfaces are proliferating right under our noses—both on the Web and on our desktops. As professional user advocates and technical communicators expert in designing information, we are in a key position to perform product-design roles as these interfaces are developed. To be fully prepared for this challenge, we must develop some skills we might not have, and we must gather resources that are perhaps outside our typical bag of tricks.
Ames, Andrea L. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Tutorials>TC
#28825
Employers' expectations of their technical communicators have changed, sometimes to our advantage, sometimes not. To advance individually or collectively, technical communicators therefore need an accurate understanding of employers' expectations -- what they were, what they are, and where they're headed. This session looks at where technical communicators have been and past expectations for the job, describes the evolution of technical communicators, and contrasts the former expectations of technical communicators with those in place now and anticipated in the future. This session draws on recent STC research as well as personal experiences.
Sells, Clifford. STC Proceedings (2007). Presentations>TC
#13163
The Work of STC Employment Information Committees
STC Employment Information Committees provide information to job seekers and employers in a variety of ways. In 1995, committees provided employment information through networking, printed job listings, resume databases, job phone lines, a few electronic bulletin boards, and a couple of e-mail listings. But the times they are a-changing. Now, committees present employment information mostly through Web sites and e-mail listings. Job seekers are provided information on job postings, employers, job hunting skills, and resume writing. Employers can list job positions and check resumes. Job seekers and employers benefit from these services because dedicated Employment Information Committee members volunteer so much of their time and effort.
#21703
XML Basics for Technical Communicators
What is XML? Cross-platform, software and hardware independent tool for storing information. A subset of SGML. Its goal is to enable generic SGML to be served and processed on the Web in a way that is now possible with HTML. XML has been designed for ease of implementation and for interoperability with both SGML and HTML.
Pujar, Amit. STC India (2003). Presentations>Information Design>TC>XML
#32536
Open Source Practices and Technical Communication Programs
Structural differences among different resource formats impede efforts to develop a learning community. With OSS, education issues/critique include media, medium, and message. OSS complicates framework issues.
Faber, Brent and Johndan Johnson-Eilola. Clarkson University (2002). Presentations>TC>Open Source
#35108
The notes for a presentation (titled Thinking Outside the Book: Wikis for Writing and Delivering Documentation, that discusses the whys, the tools, and the techniques of using wikis for documentation.
Scott Nesbitt. DMN Communications (2009). Presentations>TC>Wikis>Documentation
#35432
How DITA Changed the Tech Comm Landscape
Before DITA, we told readers how things worked. After DITA, we tell users how to use things. Before, we wrote information linearly. After, we write individual units as needed.
SDI Global Solutions (2009). Presentations>TC>XML>DITA
#35450
User-Centered Design for Technical Communicators
How can user-centered design principles be applied to technical communication?
Sansbury, Will. WillSansbury.com (2009). Presentations>User Centered Design>TC
#35767
What Technical Communicators Need to Know About Flash 
What is Flash? It's a vector-based format for moving images. Adobe technology via Macromedia Proprietary FLA for Flash development files. SWF for compressed files.
O'Keefe, Sarah. SlideShare (2008). Presentations>TC>Multimedia>Flash
