#22171
Characterizing Audience for Informational Web Site Design 
Presents a sample of audience analysis results and discusses how they were used to make design decisions. Reflects on the strategy, the insights gained from the data, and the impact of the results on the subject Web site.
Turns, Jennifer and Tracey S. Wagner. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Web Design>Audience Analysis
#10407
This article is intended to make Web designers more aware of the qualities of heuristics by presenting a framework for analyzing the characteristics of heuristics. The framework is meant to support Web designers in choosing among alternative heuristics. We hope that better knowledge of the backgrounds, potentials, and limitations of heuristics will contribute to the professional expertise in the field. Our second goal is to make those who develop and present heuristics more aware of the information their users need. Thus, we try to increase the usability of heuristics.
de Jong, Menno D.T. and Thea van der Geest. Technical Communication Online (2000). Design>Web Design>Assessment>Usability
#10365
China Is Hungry: Technical Communication in the People's Republic of China
Nine technical communicators and three technical communication teachers from the United States and Canada visited the People's Republic of China, to determine how technical communication is practiced and taught by the Chinese. The delegation discovered a field at its earliest stages, without status as a separate profession or academic discipline. The practice of technical communication by Chinese managers, scientists, and engineers is typically ad hoc and instruction is almost always extracurricular. China's expanding economy, however, offers a timely opportunity to promote the discipline and the profession. To build bridges to the international community, China is hungry for contributions of information technology as well as expertise in English and technical communication.
Tegtmeier, Patricia, Sylvia Thompson, Ron Smith, Debbie L. Scroggs and Sam Dragga. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>TC>Regional>China
#14225
Choices and Challenges: Considerations for Designing Electronic Performance Support Systems
Introduces the breadth of decision-making required in EPSS design. Explores choices and challenges facing designers in the design process, performance cycle, technology constraints, use of storytelling techniques, evaluation, and success factors.
Carliner, Saul. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Content Management>Web Design>EPSS
#13532
Clarity in Context: Rethinking Misunderstanding
Technical communicators are well aware of the potential for misunderstanding in their roles as communicators within organizations and as translators of information from technical to lay people. In fact, they spend much of their working lives trying to communicate clearly and avoid misunderstanding. Lack of clarity can lead to delays in completing work, to lost business, and to customer dissatisfaction. It has been blamed for everything from the delay in starting yesterday's meeting to the Challenger space shuttle disaster. If we are to address the problem of misunderstanding and try to avoid it more often, we have to understand what misunderstanding is and why it occurs.
Schneider, Barbara. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Rhetoric
#25244
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Slides Are Not All Evil
This article first reviews three shortcomings in Tufte’s argument, then summarizes the booklet’s well-taken points, before offering guidelines for effective slides, no matter the tool. These guidelines and some of the analysis are based on more than 150 in-depth discussions of slides I have conducted with engineers, scientists, executives, and other professionals at workshops.
Doumont, Jean-luc. Technical Communication Online (2005). Design>Information Design>Presentations
#10311
Collaboration via E-mail and Internet Relay Chat: Understanding Time and Technology
The purpose of this preliminary study was to structure and begin to study how collaborators working across distance perceive and use e-mail and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) to facilitate their collaborative and decision-making processes. Students from the University of Western Sydney and the University of Minnesota worked in pairs to respond to four decision-making scenarios over a four-week period. Using e-mail, students came to a decision more quickly than when using IRC, and when IRC was slow, students reverted to a series of rapid-fire e-mail messages to facilitate their work. Students appreciated the cross-cultural experience; however, they struggled to create a shared communicative context via the Internet.
Duin, Ann Hill and Ray Archee. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Collaboration>Email
#10386
Collecting Information: Qualitative Research Methods for Solving Workplace Problems
There is evidence that technical communicators are not well prepared to collect information designed to answer workplace problems with systematic methods. Because mastering the use of qualitative collection methods such as observation, artifact searches, and interviews is often incorrectly assumed to require little expertise, my goal is to show how much thought has gone into the systematic use of such methods in the social sciences, including business. Thus, I focus on the basic considerations involved in collecting information using qualitative methods, especially (though not exclusively) targeted for technical communicators within industry. To that end, I cover two broad areas: (a) fundamental issues, such as formulating researchable questions and addressing credibility and practicality in workplace research, and (b) the details of collecting qualitative information and also determining the specifics of an information collection plan. The topic of analyzing information after it is collected is not covered
Campbell, Kim Sydow. Technical Communication Online (1999). Articles>Usability>Workplace
#20575
Color: The Newest Tool for Technical Communicators
Asserts that color must be used to make information clear, lucid, powerful—faster; its logical application must be controlled by the editor. Provides a comprehensive checklist to help editors use color effectively.
White, Jan V. Technical Communication Online (2003). Design>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric>Color
#26849
Communication Challenges in the WC3's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
In the first part of this article, we analyze a number of communication challenges and relate them to problems in conveying the November draft of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. Based on our analysis, the second part of our article offers a number of recommendations for improving the comprehensibility of the WCAG 2.0 for its various intended audiences. Although our discussion has the November draft as its focal point, the recommendations are more widely applicable to other complex documents with diverse audiences. In the final part, we propose a new vision for the WCAG.
Brys, Catherine M. and Wim Vanderbauwhede. Technical Communication Online (2006). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Standards
#10389
Communication Channels Used by Technical Writers Throughout the Documentation Process
This article focuses on communication channels used by technical writers to obtain and verify product information. Although much has been written about communication channel components (for example, document review), little discussion has focused on the spectrum of communication channels available to technical writers or why they might choose certain channels. The communication channels identified in this article include team meetings, document review, individual face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and e-mail. To test my identification and to see which channels writers would choose when presented with different scenarios, I collected and analyzed data from a survey of approximately 30 technical communicators who responded to an e-mail questionnaire sent to 170 STC members.
McGee, Lynn. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Communication>Collaboration
#10387
Communication in Cross-Functional Teams: An Introduction to This Special Issue
The importance of teams has grown during the past decades as increasing numbers of organizations have turned to collaborative models of work. The emphasis on 'cross-functional' reflects the growing complexity of today's work, where no single individual or job function possesses sufficient knowledge or skill for developing or maintaining innovative products and services. One of the biggest challenges of teams is developing patterns of effective communication. As with all processes and practices in the workplace, communication within cross-functional teams must be examined, discussed, and taught explicitly for such teams to succeed. The articles in this issue provide insights into the communication challenges facing individuals working in teams in today's workplace. In addition, the issue discusses a variety of tools and techniques for improving communication and efficiency within teams and the quality of work produced.
Smart, Karl L. and Carol M. Barnum, eds. Technical Communication Online (2000). Articles>Communication>Collaboration
#22016
Review: The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design
Bob Gordon and Maggie Gordon, authors of The Complete Guide to Digital Graphic Design, reinforce effective design principles by creating a text that visually inspires and instructs. With its vibrant colors and captivating images, the book demonstrates the capabilities of graphic design through instructive images and text. Each page provides a snapshot into the creativity and power of graphic design.
Craft, Tiffany. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Graphic Design
#10276
Conceptual Design: Cornerstone of Usability
The conceptual model or metaphor of a software user interface (UI) (for example, an artist's palette used by commercial drawing applications) contributes greatly to a UI's ease of learning and ease of use. When that model is unclear, does not match users' expectations, or is absent entirely, it is a major hurdle for even the most internally consistent interface to overcome. This article suggests why conceptual design is so often neglected by development teams and presents a five-step process for developing a sound conceptual model for a software application. The crux of the process is the development of multiple models and low-fidelity prototypes. There are also recommendations describing how technical communicators can reinforce and support conceptual design on their projects. Last, the author depicts how organizations committed to usability ensure that conceptual design is given the attention it deserves.
Rubin, Jeffrey. Technical Communication Online (1996). Articles>Usability
#22100
Review: A Concise Guide to Technical Communication
If one of the savory ironies of reviewing a text on technical communication is the potential for contradiction between discussion of principles and execution of principles, then one of its joys is finding a book that hits the mark. Gurak and Lannon's A Concise Guide to Technical Communication does just that.
MacLemale, Laura A. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>TC
#10381
#26852
Conducting Usability Studies with Users Who Are Elderly or Have Disabilities
Many disabled or elderly users have embraced the Web as a way to get easier access to information, services, contacts with others, and entertainment. But very often, Web sites are creating barriers for them, at the same time as they are reducing barriers of access. We can safely assume that Web sites are made by designers who have no intention to exclude groups of users from using the site. Our studies, however, have proved that good intentions are not enough to create Web content that is accessible and also usable for people with various kinds of physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Web designers need to familiarize themselves with accessibility guidelines and apply them properly, but that goal is seldom achieved. Even when the guidelines are applied, a site's ease of use for people with disabilities needs to be confirmed in a usability test with actual users who have disabilities. This article describes how to conduct user-focused tests with test participants who are elderly or who have disabilities.
van der Geest, Thea. Technical Communication Online (2006). Articles>Usability>Testing>Elderly
#10358
Conflicting Standards for Designing Data Displays: Following, Flouting, and Reconciling Them
Standards for designing data displays—for example, bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, scatter plots—can be classified into four types: Conventional—emphasis on imitating generic forms that meet readers’ expectations. Perceptual—emphasis on optimizing reader behavior in accessing data visually. Informational—emphasis on transferring information clearly and concisely from designer to reader. Aesthetic—emphasis on taste, cultural values, and expressive elements. While each of these standards has merit, and some overlap occurs among them, they often conflict with each other, leaving the information designer in a quandary as to which standard to follow. Designers can resolve this dilemma by allowing the rhetorical situation—the readers of the display, its purpose, the context in which they use it—to guide the design process, telling designers when to follow, blend, or flout the standards.
Kostelnick, Charles. Technical Communication Online (1998). Design>Information Design>Technical Illustration>Charts and Graphs
#22360
Review: Content Management for Dynamic Web Delivery
One comes away from the book with a feeling of an enormous challenge—technical, organizational, budgetary, and political. If you or your boss is considering developing and deploying a content management system at your place of work and you both want to know what you might be in for, get this book.
Hudak-David, Ginny. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Reviews>Content Management>Personalization
#19812
Content vs. Product: The Effects of Single Sourcing on the Teaching of Technical Communication
Identifies and discusses the effects of single sourcing on the writing process. Provides suggestions for incorporating the teaching of single sourcing into technical communication courses
Eble, Michelle F. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Rhetoric
#13527
Contracting Versus Consulting: Making an Informed, Conscious Decision
As independent or freelance technical communicators, we typically call ourselves contractors. Our clients and potential clients, however, might consider some of us contractors and others consultants, with different expectations applied to each. The differences in perception vary from one individual to the next, but you might generalize them as differences in the level of abstraction of the technical communication product with which each type of worker is engaged.
Ames, Andrea L. Technical Communication Online (2002). Careers>Consulting
#10321
The Contribution of Hypermedia Link Authoring
Linking, when properly executed, enhances the value of content by providing a consistent perspective and organizational scheme that enriches the user's experience. Link authoring, like content authoring, is a creative process of making connections between disparate yet related information. Effective link authoring requires intellect, creativity, and domain knowledge to define the relationships among concepts that can support a particular pedagogical objective. The contribution of hypermedia link authoring is often poorly understood and unrecognized by traditional academic and publishing communities. Publishers of commercial and academic hypermedia typically neither formally recognize link authoring as something that should be protected by copyright, nor do they extend to those involved in link authoring the same degree of credit or remuneration given conventional content authors or illustrators.
Bergeron, Bryan P. and Michael T. Bailin. Technical Communication Online (1997). Design>Information Design>Hypertext>Multimedia
#28552
Single sourcing, XML, and other forms of multimedia have changed technical communicators' work processes and on-the-job duties. Beyond the requirements for traditional skills in writing, editing, and designing, technical communicators must now play enhanced roles within professional environments including organizing, creating, and managing information. To help simplify the complex tasks of creating multimedia documents, in this article we examine the impact that new technologies have had on the technical communication profession. Referring to a wide variety of sources about the fundamental changes to our profession, we synthesize information regarding managing multimedia documents. Although in this article we focus on object management, with an emphasis on the tasks, skills, and tools required of authors of such documents, in future articles we will address object creation and object presentation.
Mott, Richard K. and Julie Dyke Ford. Technical Communication Online (2007). Articles>Information Design>Single Sourcing
#22012
Review: Copyediting: A Practical Guide
If you could own only one book on copyediting, Karen Judd's Copyediting: A Practical Guide would be an excellent choice. Even if you already own the second edition, published in 1990, you will certainly find useful updates in the new third edition.
Judd, Karen. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Editing
#22103
Review: The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications
The Copyeditor's Handbook is a solid resource for novice and experienced copyeditors alike. Although it functions well as a textbook and a general learning tool, it certainly is not a replacement for The Chicago manual of style, nor does it purport to be. It's a book that acknowledges an assortment of vexing copyediting questions and offers multiple answers to most of them.
Hernandez, Gary. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>Reviews>Editing
