An Information Development Methodology for the World Wide Web    

Technical communicators are asked more and more to develop information for delivery on the Internet's World Wide Web. To develop this information, technical communicators need to pay close attention to the characteristics and qualities of the Web as a medium for communication so that they don't merely duplicate practices intended for paper or other media. Technical communicators can, however, draw on many existing concepts from technical communication and software engineering practices. This article describes a process-oriented methodology for Web information development that takes into account the characteristics and qualities of the World Wide Web.

December, John A. Technical Communication Online (1996). Design>Information Design>Online

Information Development Organizations Evolving to Keep Pace with Change: A Collaborative Conversation of Information Development Managers     

This article reports on an online discussion of the Advisory Council for Information Development Management (CIDM), which is composed of directors, managers, and CEOs from corporations and a consulting firm. The conversation, conducted over 3 weeks in January 2000, covered several key themes: The expectation of greater productivity while budgets are flat or decreasing Meeting this expectation means a considerable rethinking, doing more with less, improving processes, and understanding total cost. The need for higher quality and improved usability This important need leads some organizations back to traditional editing, to embracing different development techniques (such as single sourcing, structured documents, and standard English), and to more robust interfaces. Innovative leadership and effective organization Strong leadership in a supportive and flexible organization is ultimately the cornerstone for success.

Rosenquist, Deborah J. Technical Communication Online (2001). Articles>Management>Collaboration

Information Graphics at the Boston Globe: From Concept to Execution    

Over the past decade, information graphics have become an increasingly important part of newspaper coverage. While graphics have traditionally played a supporting role to content determined by reporters and editors, some newspapers take a more aggressive approach in reporting and creating information graphics. At the Boston Globe, a conscious effort has been made to encourage artists to report the material for their graphics, and to seek greater collaboration with reporters, editors, and photographers. In our best efforts, this allows us to discuss how to bring words, diagrams, illustrations, and photographs together in evocative information packages. The Globe's specialized beats include four reporters who work on health-related issues full time. Because our eight-person graphics department is responsible for nearly all diagrams, charts, and graphics in the newspaper, it is difficult for us to match a reporter's expertise in any one area.

McNaughton, Sean. Technical Communication Online (1998). Design>Graphic Design>Information Design>Technical Illustration

An Interdisciplinary Course in Technical Communication    

Adresses engineering students' complaints that technical communication courses are not relevant to their major area of study. Describes a joint course in metallurgical engineering and English taught in the same classroom, with credit given in both subjects.

Andrews, Deborah C. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Education>TC>Engineering

An International Internet Collaboration    

Describes a year-long collaboration over the Internet between a systems analyst from Sweden and a technical communicator from the United States. Describes the progress of the project, the major difficulties encountered, and the authors' conclusions about its success. In addition, suggestions on how to improve on the process are provided.

Tumminello, Joanna L. and Par Carlshamre. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>TC>Regional>Scandinavia

Internet Glossary    

This glossary defines terms used in this issue that might not be familiar to readers. It includes terms that may not be well known to Internet-savvy readers today because of changes in the technology since 1996.

Gurak, Laura J. and Christine M. Silker. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Internet

Is This Ethical? A Survey of Opinion on Principles and Practices of Document Design    

In a national survey, 500 technical communicators and 500 technical communication teachers were asked to assess the ethics of seven document design cases. According to the 455 respondents, manipulating typography and leading to fit more or less information on a page and using persuasive coloring or spacing are ethical practices, while the manipulation of pictorial illustrations and the distortion of graphics are unethical. Opinion on using typography to decrease readability is divided. In five of the seven cases, women are consistently more lenient or men consistently more strict in their answers: common practices, specifications, reader's responsibility, writer's responsibility, writer's intentions, consequences, judgments, principles, and insufficient information. The explanation most often given was consequences, indicating a 'goal-based' philosophy of ethics.

Dragga, Sam. Technical Communication Online (1996). Careers>TC>Document Design>Graphic Design

Review: Knowledge and Information Technology Management: Human and Social Perspectives  

As the information technology sector continues to grow, an understanding of KM practices will become increasingly essential to organizational success. Because technical communicators are creators and managers of content/knowledge, they will need to understand KM practices to anticipate how their jobs may change to meet KM needs. The collection Knowledge and information technology management: Human and social perspectives provides technical communicators with both an overview of KM practices and insights into the future development of KM as a field. For this reason, the book is a valuable resource that technical communicators should read to better prepare themselves for future developments in the field.

St. Amant, Kirk R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management and Leadership Opportunities for Technical Communicators    

Over the past several years, organizations have devoted increasing amounts of attention to a phenomenon called 'knowledge management.' Despite its growing visibility, knowledge management nonetheless suffers from a multitude of definitions with little apparent consistency. In this article, I outline four of the most common definitions of knowledge management. I unify these definitions by explaining them as four points along a continuum of increasing depth and complexity. After outlining knowledge management in this manner, I explain how technical communicators usually play supporting roles, not leadership roles, in knowledge management efforts. I then argue that to overcome this challenge, technical communicators must carefully re-think how they define knowledge management, technical communication, and themselves as professionals. I further argue that technical communicators should define themselves not by the products they produce but by the 'core competencies' with which they produce them.

Wick, Corey. Technical Communication Online (2000). Design>Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management and Pharmaceutical Development Teams: Using Writing to Guide Science    

This article introduces a way of working with drug development teams that relies on writing as a key development activity. The work of cross-functional teams in pharmaceutical research and development can be guided by the use of tools normally thought of as 'writing' tools. Writing can be used intentionally to help teams develop their thinking, identify and respond to troublesome issues, and develop project documentation efficiently. The article introduces the use of a 'seed document' (one step in a systematic, wholly collaborative, document development process) to establish a conceptual knowledge bank for a development team, and demonstrates how complex documentation can flow naturally out of the evolving seed document. The authors argue that structured writing can help team members, who have varying perspectives and expertise, engage in substantive conflict and reach consensus on team responses to difficult issues.

Bernhardt, Stephen A. and George A. McCulley. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Knowledge Management>Scientific Communication>Biomedical

Learning at Work: The Role of Technical Communication in Organizational Learning    

Concludes that technical support is an important audience for customer documentation and a source of knowledge. Proposes that technical communicators produce documentation that meets the needs of technical support and taps into that knowledge.

Wahl, Scott. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Collaboration>Workplace

Learning from Games: Seven Principles of Effective Design    

Why do players of computer games seem to approach those applications without fear, eagerly exploring and learning as they go, while users of business applications will go out of their way to keep from using the tools? Why do business applications require volumes of documentation when the most complex games come with a brief tutorial and a strategy guide for exploration? Why can games teach pilots to fly multi-million-dollar jets better than books and classroom training? These questions have led us to ask another question: Why can’t business applications be more like games? In this article, we attempt to lay the ground work for future research by defining seven design principles found in games that we believe contribute to the creation of more usable applications.

Houser, Rob and Scott Deloach. Technical Communication Online (1998). Articles>Usability>Information Design>Games

Learning How to Use a Cellular Phone: Comparison Between German and Chinese Users    

The objective of this study was to investigate whether and how 'cultural standards' influence the use of typical daily products, e.g. a cellular phone. The goal was to provide insight for technical communicators who design information products for Chinese or German users. Hypotheses about differences in learning and information gathering strategies were derived from Chinese and German cultural standards. Methods used were focus groups, usability tests and a questionnaire. In focus groups, the question was raised about how cellular phone users had learned to use the phone. Four focus groups were held in each country (number of participants: China: n=26, Germany: n=24). A questionnaire was designed to provide additional information. During usability tests, the actual information searching behavior was recorded. Results indicate that the following cultural differences exist: The main source of information for Chinese is the sales clerk, whereas for Germans it is the conventional user manual.

Honold, Pia. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Human Computer Interaction>Usability>International

Lessons Learned from Discount Usability Engineering for the U.S. Federal Government    

Presents a case history of implementing discount usability engineering in a U.S. federal government agency. Discusses the case history's implications for technical communicators who must implement Web communications in a restricted environment.

Pettit Jones, Colleen. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Usability>Government

Lessons on Focus Group Methodology from a Science Television News Project    

While many bemoan the fact that television is a central source of science information for much of the United States, professionals charged with informal science education tasks have welcomed opportunities afforded by the medium. Creating TV programming that meets both institutional goals and audience preferences, though, is a challenge fraught with difficulties. To develop such programming, one tempting formative research option is to conduct focus groups with potential audience members. In this article, we present guidelines for focus group implementation as well as crucial caveats to which we should adhere in interpreting data from such efforts. To illustrate the guidelines, we discuss a formative evaluation undertaken for the Discoveries and breakthroughs inside science television news project to understand how some people respond to science news stories.

Southwell, Brian G., Stephanie H. Blake and Alicia Torres. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Scientific Communication>Methods>Focus Groups

Lightweight Literate Programming: A Documentation Practice    

Lightweight literate programming (LLP) combines software documentation and coding in a way that can scaffold collaborations between technical communicators and programmers. We review the genesis and history of LLP, including its relationship to established single-sourcing methods. We then detail its use by programmers and discuss two models for writer/programmer collaboration using LLP. We finish by suggesting a few studies of working relationships between writers and programmers that LLP could facilitate.

Stavely, Allan, Lynda Walsh and John Shipman. Technical Communication Online (2008). Articles>Documentation>Programming>Methods

The Logical and Rhetorical Construction of Procedural Discourse     

A very useful perspective for understanding procedural ('how to') discourse and for writing better procedures is to view procedures as a framework of actions and states. The states include desired (goal) states and unwanted states; the actions are user actions, system actions, and external events. This framework underlies all kinds of procedural discourse, including streamlined-step procedures, the model that predominates in online help systems. The components that make up streamlinedstep procedures are best understood as combinations of actions and states. Procedural discourse is also highly rhetorical in nature. We can see the rhetorical implications of actions and states in the various models of procedural discourse, and in specific strategies that writers implement. Because of its terse and rigid nature, the streamlinedstep model is not well suited for certain rhetorical strategies and cognitive goals, and so while recognizing the efficiency of the streamlined-step model, writers should not neglect more

Farkas, David K. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric

Looking to Cinema for Direction: Incorporating Motion into On-screen Presentations of Technical Information    

To help technical communicators become better informed producers of interactive new media productions, this article examines how motion can be used properly to create effective interactive information systems for the computer screen. This article provides a brief analysis of how cinema works and then demonstrates how a number of cinema techniques influence new media production. The article then concludes by offering suggestions for how to effectively apply a few basic cinema techniques directly to technical communication practice.

Gillette, David. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Presentations>Multimedia

Review: Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method  

If you're planning to conduct a survey, invest $70 USD in Dillman's book. It provides some of the finest methodological guidance available for conducting surveys.

Zimmerman, Donald E. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Usability>Surveys

Making and Breaking Rules: A Manager's Viewpoint    

Contends that 'does it help communication?' is the ultimate question to ask in deciding whether to follow, bend, or break rules. States that managers need to help their staff members develop sound judgment and make defensible choices.

Zook, Lola M. Technical Communication Online (2003). Careers>Management

Making Manuals Obsolete: Getting Information out of the Manual and into the Product    

Users loathe reading the operating manuals that accompany new equipment. Manuals often sit unused on a shelf, far from their targeted audience, while the costs of technical support soar. This article promotes integrating information traditionally found in printed manuals into the product itself and reports the experience of a design team in developing an easy-to-use product requiring minimal printed documentation. As part of design teams, technical communicators can advocate both reducing the amount of information required to operate a product and making the information immediately available when needed. These strategies can produce increased customer satisfaction and lower post-sales support costs.

Millar, Carol. Technical Communication Online (1998). Design>Documentation>User Interface

Review: Managing Data Mining Technologies in Organizations: Techniques and Applications  

Managing Data Mining Technologies in Organizations: Techniques and Applications is rich in information and should be of great interest to its intended audience of academics and professionals who are knowledgeable about data mining. The book's price and highly technical nature will likely keep those merely curious about data mining from actually purchasing it, but should you need facts on data mining for one of your documentation projects, a library copy may provide just the information you need.

Owens, David. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Information Design

Managing the Development of Information Products: An Experiential Learning Strategy for Product Developers    

Increasing numbers of technical communicators and professionals in such diverse fields as software engineering, computer science, training, and human factors in the product development mix together. The process of developing information products has become cross-functional and interdisciplinary. Functional distinctions between those now at work in that process have blurred. Technical communicators have begun to define usability requirements up front and to participate in product design decisions; software engineers have begun to worry about the product's ability to communicate with users; and HCI (human-computer interaction) professionals work within the product development team on a variety of levels to address user concerns, from the user's work context to the product's dialogue and messaging strategies.

Skelton, T.M. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Management>Information Design

Review: Mapping Websites: Digital Media Design  

When we are trying to envision the structure of a Web site, we may sketch diagrams on white boards, create outlines, fill whole walls with yellow stickies. Kahn and Lenk offer many sophisticated ways of visualizing your site. If you are planning a new site or reorganizing an existing site, this book provides an historical context for your information architecture, in-depth studies of complex sites, and a wide range of inspiring diagrams and site maps.

Price, Jonathan R. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Information Design>Web Design

Review: Mastering HTML and XHTML  

In this book, the Rays have put together most (if not everything) that you need to know to create HTML/XHTML documents. Although not groundbreaking, the information is presented in a straightforward style and arranged in an easily accessible manner. Basically, it's a 'one-stop' reference for prospective coders.

Staples, Jeff. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Web Design>HTML