December 1, 2000, through February 28, 2001  

This report covers specifications, standards, and amendments received from December 1, 2000, through February 28, 2001.

Bach, Claudia. Intercom (2001). Articles>History>TC

Delivering Clear Messages in a Technical Environment  

Argues that effective titles and slogans can help members of a documentation team keep their focus while working on a project.

Kocak, Paul J. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>TC

Describing Document Structure  

Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.

Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata

Describing Document Structure, Part 2  

Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.

Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata

Designing a Search People Can Really Use  

The challenge of finding the right information at the right time has grown with the Web. The information superhighway is larger and more crowded than ever, and individual sites are also larger and more complex. With this explosion in the sheer volume of pages, finding the information you need is harder than ever. Search engines have always held out the promise of solving this problem, but they are often a usability disaster area. Inaccurate results, cluttered search entries, and a narrow focus on technological capabilities are only a few of the issues that make search features so difficult to use.

Quesenbery, Whitney. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Search>Usability

Designing a Table of Contents  

Describes how technical writers can design usable, helpful tables of contents for both printed documentation and help files.

Wright, Marcia G. Intercom (2002). Articles>Editing>Information Design

Designing a Telephone-Based User Interface  

Explains how technical communicators, drawing on their experience designing Web sites and software interfaces, can help design effective interfaces for telephone-answering and call-routing systems.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2004). Design>User Interface>EPSS>User Centered Design

Designing a Web Site for a Corporate Intranet  

Offers suggestions for creating an effective corporate intranet.

Dick, David J. Intercom (2004). Design>Web Design>Intranets

Designing an Effective Review Process  

Review processes can easily become frustrating and complicated. Hart shows how to create and revive a review process that can be tailored to the needs of your situation.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2006). Articles>Publishing>Editing>Workflow

Designing and Planning Modular Content Projects  

Modular writing involves writing, labeling, storing, and assembling content modules. Read about how to design and plan a modular writing project and how this writing system affects traditional roles and responsibilities within a publications team.

O'Connor, Virginia. Intercom (2006). Articles>Content Management>Workflow

Designing Better Instructional Documents  

Demonstrates how principles of print design and visual literacy can improve the usability of course handouts.

Codone, Susan K. Intercom (2004). Articles>Education>Document Design

Designing Documents  

Explains how to produce documents with good structure, which is essential to the use of structural markup.

Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2002). Design>Information Design>Writing

Designing Object-Oriented Documentation  

Describes how to construct documentation using the object-oriented model.

Beg, Visja. Intercom (2000). Design>Documentation

Designing Quality Customer Experiences  

Lists eight principles for designing memorable customer experiences.

Smart, Karl L. Intercom (2002). Design>User Centered Design

Designing Web Applications

This paper discusses several common navigational problems and techniques for avoiding them in designing Web applications. Although the focus is on applications rather than on purely informational sites, you can use these guidelines for designing anything on the Web.

Meehan, Margaret M. and Hal Shubin. Intercom (1997). Design>Web Design>Server Side Includes

Designing Web Sites for International Audiences  

International online access is growing at an amazing rate. In China alone, the number of individuals with Internet access grew from roughly 2 million users in 1999 to over 25 million users today. As a result of various international programs in both the public and private sectors, online access is now poised to expand rapidly throughout the world. For technical communicators, this projected growth means an increasing international client base that can use online media to access technical materials. As international clients and co-workers gain online access, technical communicators will need to devise design strategies for effective online materials for this audience.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Globalization

Desktop Videoconferencing--State of the Art  

Archee assesses the current state of DTV technology.

Archee, Raymond K. Intercom (2000). Design>Collaboration>Online>Video

Developing a Document Planning Template  

Explains how a document planning template can establish consensus among team members regarding content and layout.

Tremmel, Martina A. Intercom (2004). Articles>Document Design>Document Design>Collaboration

Developing a Web-Based Portfolio  

Kendus discusses the benefits of online portfolios for job candidates and offers tips on creating them.

Kendus, Steven M. Intercom (2002). Careers>Portfolios>Web Design

Developing Business Plans for High-tech Companies  

Illustrates how technical communicators can add value to business plan projects.

Petersen, Judy H. Intercom (2000). Articles>Business Communication>Reports

Developing Help for the Web: Designs, Trends, Strategies  

Zubak reviews the current state of Web-based help technology. Her article prepares technical communicators for upcoming challenges in this increasingly important field.

Zubak, Cheryl Lockett. Intercom (2001). Design>Documentation>Help

Device Indepenence: Single Sourcing's Other Side  

Considers the possible ramifications for technical communicators of device-independent publishing.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2005). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Differentiating Online Help from Printed Documentation  

Hemmi discusses the differences between online help and printed documentation and suggests how technical communicators can make the most of both media.

Hemmi, Jane A. Intercom (2002). Design>Documentation

Digital Photoreproduction for Documents and Books  

Smith describes the process of digital photoreproduction--the use of digital technology to scan images and save them to a storage medium. The article includes a list of addresses and Web sites for several companies that produce digital photoreproduction machines.

Smith, Gary M. Intercom (2001). Design>Graphic Design>Photography

Digital Production of Corporate and Industrial Videos: A Primer  

Chu details the roles technical communicators will play in the production of corporate and industrial videos for training classes, employee communications, product manuals, user guides, and video press releases.

Chu, Steve W. Intercom (2002). Design>Multimedia>Interactive