Review: Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design and Development  

I was excited to receive my copy of Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design and Development, because I was in the middle of a new software development project and would be responsible for approving the look and feel of the user interface (UI). I was interested in learning more about evolving standards, the proper selection of interface controls based on users' tasks, the best way to decide on and create UI style sheets for use by the development staff, and the problem of quantifying that elusive quality called usability. I hoped this book would enlighten me with practical examples I could put to immediate use. Unfortunately, in that regard, Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design and Development was mostly a disappointment. It might have been better titled A Project Manager's Handbook, because the author's treatment of the topic is extremely broad but not very deep.

Anderson, Darrill. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>User Interface

A Practitioners' Citation Index?    

Whether articles have been applied on the job or have simply expanded our mastery of the field, how can we tell which articles practitioners find useful? This is the question I've wrestled with over the past three months. Unfortunately, supplying an answer isn't as easy as asking the question.

Hayhoe, George F. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Publishing>Assessment

Review: Preparing Learners for e-Learning  

Finally, give this book to the CEO who blithely assumes that the corporation can simply replace classroom learning with e-learning without missing a beat. This book goes a long way toward dampening the hype surrounding online education by acknowledging that e-learning requires a shift in organizational priorities, teacher and learner attitudes, and ways of operating.

Kitalong, Karla Saari. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Reviews>Education>Online

Print and Online Resources about Web Accessibility: An Annotated Bibliography    

This annotated bibliography discusses over 120 print and online resources related to Web accessibility. It lists and describes resources that offer practical advice on how to implement accessibility, particularly in relation to the WCAG 1.0 and Section 508 standards. It also summarizes the findings of empirical studies that have examined Web site accessibility via automated tests, such as Bobby, and studies that have gauged user performance with assistive technologies, such as screen readers. The bibliography lists forums for discussing accessibility with other practitioners and researchers, and it cites sources for news and events related to accessibility. The bibliography concludes with a short discussion of trends in accessibility research.

Mackiewicz, Jo M. Technical Communication Online (2006). Resources>Bibliographies>Accessibility>Web Design

Print to Online: Conflicting Tales of Transition    

This is a success story of how a large, high-tech service support organization made the transition from print to online documentation in both CD-ROM and Web media. But this is also a cautionary tale of the damaging drawbacks resulting from that changeover. The co-existence of two such very different evaluations, both based on accurate reporting about common products and circumstances, is emblematic of the challenges that new technologies can bring to information developers. The success story, told by the publications group responsible for the transition, is focused on new features and reduced production expenses. The cautionary tale highlights larger issues of process, product suitability, and indirect costs that affect both users and the company, including the publications group itself. The instructive value of considering two such versions of a single case history is in developing a fuller view of how technology advances can lead to unintended consequences for information developers.

Rehling, Louise. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Content Management>Publishing>Online

Quality Improvement: Benchmarking, Document Design, and the STC    

Document-designers have been subjected to close customer scrutiny without having the luxury of industrial standards. To withstand this intense judgment-based evaluation and overcome it by generating customer excitement, the document-design community has a powerful tool at its disposal. Benchmarking provides the means to exceed customer expectations and by inference, anticipate their expectations through developing best-in-class practices. Achieving customer excitement is a natural and expected outcome.

Sheffield, Michael L. Technical Communication Online (1997). Design>Information Design>Assessment

A Rapid "Debugging" Technique    

Provides an effective method for checking the content-accuracy, completeness, and logical order of a document. Notes that this technique is not a substitute for more careful review when time and the document's importance allow.

Hays, Robert. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Editing>Assessment

Re-Engineering Online Documentation: Designing Examples-Based Online Support Systems    

Developers of online documentation face a significant challenge in improving the performance of users of computer applications. This article posits that online documentation development might benefit from an approach that mimics principles found in business process re-engineering rather than an adaptive approach that simply moves paper-based information online. Information design rooted in paper-based methods does not meet the demands of online environments, contemporary users, or developing workplace practices. A case study of the development of an examples-based support system that integrates user-centered design processes, iterative user and task feedback, and an interdisciplinary design team, is presented and analyzed. Finally, the benefits of technical communicators incorporating reflection-in-action as part of the process of re-engineering online documentation efforts are elaborated upon.

Tomasi, Martin D. and Brad Mehlenbacher. Technical Communication Online (1999). Design>Information Design>Online

Re-Negotiating with Technology: Training Towards More Sustainable Technical Communication    

Technical communicators have often defined their relationship with technology using a metaphor of 'technology as tool,' an outlook that reinforces perceptions of practitioners as 'tool jockeys,' threatens the sustainability of the field, and isolates academics and practitioners alike from design and business decision-making and from better intellectual connections with other fields. We suggest that one potential solution is a new approach to training; if technical communicators can conduct technology training in ways that shift this metaphorical focus, they can not only better connect academics with practitioners but also create new connections with other fields, outlooks, and theories, becoming the sort of profession that survives global economic shifts and succeeds in both academic departments and industry.

Clark, Dave and Rebekka Andersen. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Technology>Theory>Tropes

Realising the Full Potential of the Web    

The inventor of the World Wide Web argues that the first phase of the Web is human communication though shared knowledge and predicts that the second side to the Web, yet to emerge, is that of machine-understandable information, with humans providing the inspiration and the intuition.

Berners-Lee, Tim. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Communication>Web Design

Reconsidering Some Prescriptive Rules of Grammar and Composition    

Technical writers and editors are beset with rules. As authoritative as they are, published style guides such as The Chicago manual of style, MLA, APA, and Gregg do not address reading theory but hang their prescriptions on the flimsy mantle of tradition. This article challenges some putative rules of grammar and mechanics in an effort to improve technical texts for the people who read them.

Connatser, Bradford R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Style Guides>Grammar

Redefining Written Products with WWW Documentation: A Study of the Technical Writing Process at a Computer Company     

This paper examines how writers used the World Wide Web to create and change documents, and how changing documentation challenged the production models and processes at a supercomputing company.

Beason, Gary. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Internet>Writing

The Relevance of Selected English-Usage Principles    

STC members (382) rated the relevance of 20 selected English-usage principles that were generally left unedited in a previous study. All 20 principles were rated as important to the professional writing of STC members, although ranking differences occurred. This article presents the findings of this study along with recommendations for STC members.

Perry, Devern J. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Language>Writing

Review: Reporting Technical Information  

When I first picked up Reporting Technical Information, I thought from the title it was going to be a primer on writing technical reports. Instead, this book turned out to be a basic, though somewhat better than average, textbook on technical writing.

Coleman, Colleen. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Reports>Technical Writing

Review: Reshaping Technical Communication: New Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century  

Ever wonder about the relationship between academia and the corporate world? Or if you are on the corporate side (as I am), have you wondered why academia operates as it does? (And vice versa.) If so, Reshaping Technical Communication: New Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century offers great insights that may help you gain an understanding of how each world operates, why they operate as they do, and how the two worlds influence and can alter the future of technical communication.

Staples, Jeff. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>TC>History

Rethinking Plagiarism for Technical Communication    

This article proposes that technical and professional communication instructors reconsider the treatment of the concept of plagiarism in current curriculum. I begin by examining existing approaches to teaching technical communication students about plagiarism and explaining the need for rethinking plagiarism in light of contemporary technical communication practices. The second section suggests several preliminary steps for addressing these issues, including revisions to plagiarism policies, classroom practices, and the treatment of plagiarism in textbooks. I conclude with a call for increased industry-academic dialog on the dissonance between the treatment of plagiarism in the classroom and in workplace practices.

Reyman, Jessica. Technical Communication Online (2008). Articles>Education>TC>Plagiarism

Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides: A Case for Sentence Headlines and Visual Evidence    

The traditional design of presentation slides calls for a phrase headline supported by a bulleted list. Recently, many critics have challenged the effectiveness of this design. This article argues for a significantly different design that offers numerous advantages in most communication contexts but that is particularly well suited to technical presentations. Originating at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and refined in more than 400 critique sessions at Virginia Tech, this alternative design is characterized by a succinct sentence headline supported by visual evidence. What distinguishes this design from other visual -evidence designs are its specific layout and typography guidelines, which were chosen to make the communication efficient, memorable, and persuasive. Although more difficult to construct than the traditional design, the alternative design shows much promise as a more effective means of conveying technical information to various audiences. This article outlines the key advantages and challenges of using this design, and concludes by assessing attempts to disseminate this design through lectures, workshops, and the Web.

Alley, Michael and Kathryn A. Neeley. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Presentations>Information Design>Persuasive Design

Retrieving Product Documentation Online    

As our high-technology clients become increasingly knowledgeable of the power of electronic media, we are confronted with questions on how the Internet and intranets can be used to deliver technical documents online. For example, one of our clients, a large international firm whose high-technology products are currently supported by printed literature, wants to be able to deliver their product documentation electronically, on customer demand. Their customers, typically professionals working in a fast-paced technical environment, need quick and easy access to appropriate technical information to configure our client's products.

In this article, we discuss how we came to answer our client's question: 'How can we make it easier for our customers to retrieve technical documents from our electronic library?' As we discuss below, we decided that searching online libraries could be facilitated by making the organization of the library conceptually apparent.

Racine, Sam J. and Irving B. Crandall. Technical Communication Online (2001). Design>Information Design>Documentation

Review: Review of Nine Books on Digital Photography    

This article reviews the following books on digital photography: Shoot like a pro!: Digital photography techniques by Julie Adair King; Digital photography bible: Desktop edition by Dan Simon; How to do everything with digital photography by Dave Huss; Total digital photography: The shoot to print workflow handbook by Serge Timacheff and David Karlin; The practical guide to digital imaging: Mastering the terms, technologies, and techniques by Michelle Perkins; Digital photography expert: Light and lighting by Michael Freeman; The essential lighting manual for digital and film photographers by Chris Weston; Digital photography expert: Close-up photography by Michael Freeman; Professional techniques for black & white digital photography by Patrick Rice.

Sullivan, Bill. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Reviews>Photography

Revising Letters to Veterans    

A discussion of the process of making letters for veterans easier to understand.

Daniel, Reva. Technical Communication Online (1995). Articles>Writing>User Centered Design>Usability

Revisiting Plain Language    

This essay reviews resources related to the plain language movement and examines criticism of the movement in the context of plain language resources and the information design field.

Mazur, Beth. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Language>Writing

The Rhetoric of Design: Implications for Corporate Intranets    

Sound structure and visual appeal are as important in attracting users to an intranet as the content itself because deliberate organizational and visual design allows users to navigate the site effectively and therefore helps users find the intranet a useful addition to their work flow rather than a burdensome one. In addition, by employing sound design principles, intranet developers will turn random facts filed away in databases or on servers into useful information, thus helping the intranet achieve its purpose as a medium for communicating and facilitating work processes in an organization. Unfortunately, design is an element that is sometimes overlooked in intranet development. To help developers better utilize design as an effective rhetorical tool in intranet development, this article examines issues such as creating form that is appropriate to function, determining audience needs and wants, and implementing structural and visual design principles. Intranet developers are often not professional comm

Jackson, Lisa Ann. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Rhetoric>Information Design

The Rhetoric of Typography: Effects on Reading Time, Reading Comprehension, and Perceptions of Ethos    

Asserts that typography has not occupied a significant role in discussions of visual rhetoric. Extends those discussions by investigating whether typeface persona shapes readers' interactions with a document.

Brumberger, Eva R. Technical Communication Online (2004). Design>Typography>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric

The Rhetoric of Typography: The Awareness and Impact of Typeface Appropriateness    

Extends previous research on the rhetorical role of typography that has examined typeface persona and typeface suitability. Investigates whether clashes in typeface and text persona affect readers' perceptions of the text.

Brumberger, Eva R. Technical Communication Online (2003). Design>Typography>Rhetoric>Visual Rhetoric