Accessibility Tutorials

A collection of tutorials to help web designers understand accessibility issues.

Accessify. Resources>Tutorials>Accessibility>Web Design

Acrobat How-to: Enhancing Tutorials With Interactive Elements

A funny thing happens to students after class: They forget what they've learned. But adding interactivity can engage the reader. Try these simple methods.

McCue, Claudia. Creative Pro (2004). Articles>Education>Tutorials>Adobe Acrobat

Balancing the Elements in Job Aid Design  

Job Aids offer the Technical Communicator a unique opportunity to present acquired product knowledge in a creative format. In order to produce a successful job aid, you must select and blend elements of material, color, graphics, text, typography, and ergonomics in a manner that will be most useful to the intended user. The information for the Job Aid is culled from the larger project deliverables such as User Manuals or Procedure Guides; the creativity for the Job Aid comes from within and is driven by the needs of the user and the limitations of time, money, and environment.

Houterman, John and Kristine E. Henriksen. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Tutorials

Basic JavaScript with Examples

Since the day Microsoft built support for JavaScript into Internet Explorer 3.0, Netscape's client-side language has become the de facto standard for enhancing web pages at the browser. In this full-length excerpt from Practical JavaScript Programming, author Reaz Hoque explains the basics of client-side scripting. He also gives you some neat scripts that can enhance your web pages, making them impressively interactive. Important code snippets available in this article include a browser detection script, capable of offering tailored content based on broswer version or type. For instance, it's important (unless you like crashing visitors' computers) to only serve JavaScript 1.1 code to Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later.

Hoque, Reaz. Intranet Journal (1997). Resources>Tutorials>DHTML

Creating a Multi-Page Document Using AutoFlow

In this tutorial, we are going to create a simple layout for an existing text document.

Iowa State University (2001). Design>Document Design>Tutorials>Adobe InDesign

Designing for the Web: A Tutorial by Mike Markel

This tutorial presents a brief overview of the process of creating a Web site, introduces you to important design principles to consider as you design a site, and helps you analyze the design of sample Web pages. Although the principles presented here apply to all kinds of Web sites, the primary focus is on sites for organizations'from student groups to corporate Web sites'rather than on personal Web sites.

Markel, Mike. Bedford-St. Martin's (2007). Design>Web Design>Tutorials

Digital Video Design and Production Tips for Technical Communication  

Technical communicators can expect to see an expanding role of video in product documentation, training, and marketing presentations. This is largely due to three factors: (1) digital video lowers the technology and cost thresholds to bring video to the desktop, (2) video makes sense for conveying information involving movement, and (3) video is a popular consumer medium. To technical communicators, video is a new medium in which visual communication is key. Narration and text are subordinate. Technical videographers must learn and apply video design principles and good production practices to create effective video that communicates the information.

Robbins, David B. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Tutorials>Video

Dreamweaver 4 Tutorial: A Guide for New Users

If you've been thinking of making the jump to Dreamweaver, you couldn't find a better time than now. Version 4 was recently released and has earned a slew of glowing reviews. We've prepared this guide with new users in mind, those who have intranet or Internet experience, but haven't tried Dreamweaver before. The instructions that follow are for Dreamweaver 4.

Dreier, Troy A. Intranet Journal (2000). Resources>Tutorials>Web Design>Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver Tutorials: Getting Started

Learn how you can get up and running quickly with Dreamweaver MX. Watch these tutorial movies, and get started today.

Adobe (2004). Resources>Tutorials>Streaming>Dreamweaver

Enhancing Tutorials With Acrobat

Ideas for enhancing tutorial documents using Acrobat features.

McCue, Claudia. PlanetPDF (2004). Design>Document Design>Tutorials>Adobe Acrobat

Evaluating Online Tutorials on Software Applications

Nowadays, there are a lot of software applications designed to meet the need of end users to simplify their work. These software applications usually come with supporting tools to help users with system setup and requirements, installation guides, troubleshooting, or getting-started tutorials. When looking for more information on a specific topic or “how to” on a software application, users usually tend to look first on the manufacturer’s Web site. In reality, however, the result doesn’t always answer our questions, because the manufacturer may have a wide variety of tutorials that may confuse us, the manufacturer’s tutorials may be intended for experienced users, or tutorials may be incomplete because the manufacturer only goes through the basics of the software application.

Lumenta, Agnes. Techniques (2003). Articles>Education>Tutorials>Online

FrameMaker Building Blocks: Using Building Blocks to Customize FrameMaker Documents  

Building blocks, like macros, allow you to enter information without typing it.

Scriptorium (2000). Resources>Tutorials>Software>Adobe FrameMaker

Getting Started with Flash Video

In this brief tutorial you will learn how to build a simple Macromedia Flash video project in just five easy steps.

Adobe (2004). Resources>Tutorials>Streaming>Flash

The Importance of Staff Induction

Staff induction activities are designed to provide new-starters with the information they need, as well as getting them up to speed on how the organisation works. Induction processes are vital to ensuring that new staff are productive as quickly as possible, and should play a key role in knowledge management initiatives.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2004). Articles>Education>Tutorials

Integrating Training and Documentation  

The potential problems I detailed in working to integrate training and documentation functions do indeed occur in many organizations. They have also found that working out the problems is worth the effort.

Hackos, JoAnn T. ComTech Services (1994). Articles>Documentation>Tutorials

Introduction to Macromedia Dreamweaver (I)  

Macromedia Dreamweaver is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor used for web page creation. This video will guide you through the first use of Dreamweaver MX. It is followed by Introduction to Macromedia Dreamweaver (II).

Hegelheimer, Volker. Iowa State University (2003). Resources>Tutorials>Streaming>Dreamweaver

Introduction to Macromedia Dreamweaver (II)  

Macromedia Dreamweaver is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor used for web page creation. This video will continue to guide you through the first use of Dreamweaver MX. It follows Introduction to Macromedia Dreamweaver (I).

Hegelheimer, Volker. Iowa State University (2003). Resources>Tutorials>Streaming>Dreamweaver

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Fundamentals

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX Fundamentals is the first in a series of tutorials from Virtual Training Company for Dreamweaver MX. The author of this series, Mark Fletcher, is a member of Team Macromedia for Dreamweaver. Tap into his extensive knowledge as he takes you step-by-step through the creation of a web site. He will show you how to add text and graphics, work with frames and framesets, apply cascading style sheets, and create re-usable content from library items. You will also learn how to insert and edit Flash objects, construct an HTML form, manage your page layout using both HTML tables and the Layout View, structure and maintain your web site using Dreamweaver MX's powerful site management tools, and create a dynamic web page using Macromedia's ColdFusion technology. To start learning, simply click one of the topics below.

Fletcher, Mark. Virtual Training Company (2003). Presentations>Tutorials>Streaming>Dreamweaver

A Macromedia Dreamweaver Tutorial

This tutorial will start off by guiding you through the first steps of building a site with Dreamweaver. Next, we'll look at more advanced elements, like adding media and remotely managing a site. This tutorial focuses on Dreamweaver 3, so if you're using an earlier version, you'll find that some of the features discussed are not available.

Dreier, Troy A. Intranet Journal. Resources>Tutorials>Web Design>Dreamweaver

Nine Quality Characteristics and a Process to Check for Them  

We all know what differentiates a great piece of technical communication from an average one...but can you articulate specifically what quality looks like in your work? Can you list the characteristics that all successful pieces of technical communication share? Can you repeatedly produce technical information that is of the highest quality? By using a checklist based on the nine characteristics of quality described in Developing Quality Technical Information, you can develop specific checkpoints for your design and development process to ensure that your end product, your technical information, meets these characteristics.

Fisher, Lori H. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Tutorials>Assessment

Planet Photoshop

Tutorials on various image-editing techniques using Adobe Photoshop.

Planet Photoshop. Resources>Tutorials>Graphic Design>Adobe Photoshop

Postcard Announcing an Exhibit

In this tutorial, we will create a postcard announcing a fictitious exhibit (or a real one if you have one coming up:) using InDesign. This tutorial was originally written for the InDesign Workshop.

Iowa State University (2000). Design>Document Design>Tutorials>Adobe InDesign

Poster Announcing an Exhibit

This tutorial is a companion to 0002, and was part of the InDesign Workshop. We will create a companion poster announcing the same exhibition.

Iowa State University (2000). Design>Document Design>Tutorials>Adobe InDesign

Process, Methodology, Life Cycle Oh My!

No matter what you call the process of managing your design project from beginning to end, it can save your butt. You land a client or buddy who wants you to design a website. No problem, that's what you do. Have you experienced the following? Scope creep Budget creep Launch delays Maintenance issues Maybe it's time to put a process in place that outlines the phases of your web design project. It doesn't have to be complex. Even a one-person shop can do it.

Evans, Meryl K. List Apart, A (2000). Design>Web Design>Tutorials

Putting "Show Me" Demos to Work  

Follow the top five design tips--the five high C's--for creating a 'show me' demo that sings.

Beren, Wendy G. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Education>Tutorials