Why I Hate PDFs

I hate user manuals that are distributed as PDFs. They are mainly used online so why the artificial page constraints? I'm in the middle of a topic and all of a sudden there is a page break--not because of a topical shift but because had it been printed on 8.5 x 11 we would have run out of paper. News flash: I didn't print it and I was not running out of paper.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2008). Articles>Documentation>User Experience>Adobe Acrobat

Cognitive Tools

I've long been an advocate that teaching technical communication without teaching tools is like teaching art students about painting without talking about brushes.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2008). Articles>TC>Software

Will Write for Metamucil

I am ill equipped to write for an emerging segment of the marketplace. But that doesn't mean I'm used up like a worn-out number two pencil stub (my favorite simile these days). But it does mean that I need to reevaluate where and how I add value.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Multimedia

Technical Writer as Playwright

Help is read in snippets. Avoid ambiguous parts of speech and make each snippet a good little play that you can easily imagine being acted out on stage.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing

How to Improve the UI--Really!

A colleague has made me realize that user assistance writers are codependents of bad UI design. Because we explain how the UI really works, we somehow leave our developers and companies feeling like they're "covered" when the users have a bad experience.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>User Interface>Documentation>Technical Writing

Online vs. On-Line

This isn't a discussion of hyphenated vs. not hyphenated. It examines the difference between putting a PDF file on the Internet (what I call an on-line document) and having a truly electronic Web presence for that content (what I call an online document). Unfortunately, the two often get bundled together.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Web Design>Publishing>Adobe Acrobat

Cop vs. Consultant

Pay attention to the legal requirements and translatability issues, not only in your own documents, but in the documents of other groups like marketing and engineering. It's an area where we add value.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Intellectual Property>Trademark>Technical Writing

STC: Quo Vadis?

I need to figure out where I am with all the STC stuff going on, and blogging will help my introspection. Also, it will let me share with you some of the background and complexity that surround the current state of affairs with STC. My e-mail tag line reads "Anyone who is sure of the answer doesn't understand the question," and this blog is an invitation to join me in understanding how we got here, where we are, and where I think we need to go.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>TC>Planning>STC

Screen Shots in Documentation

Just as I would with words, I'll cut out the obvious and whatever does not add value. I prefer an additive approach (put it in only when the words seem inadequate) over a subtractive approach (take it out if it seems superfluous). In other words, I'll be more open to screen shots in the future, but they have to work themselves into the document, not just be their by entitlement until expelled.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Documentation>Technical Illustration>Screen Captures

Talk Your Walk

We confuse people when there is a disconnect between our stated beliefs and our theories in use. When managers say they demand teamwork but evaluate employees based on individual accomplishments, they do a disservice to the person who puts the team's overall needs ahead of his or her specific goals. That person gets punished for believing what the boss said and acting on it. But don't be so quick to blame the disconnect on your behavior--It could be you are reciting scripts that describe what you think you should do.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Writing>Theory>Professionalism

Comic Relief

As part of a project I'm working on, we are going to develop a comic-style collection of user scenarios to help communicate best practices around a security service we are offering.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>User Centered Design>Technical Illustration>Personas

Reverse Engineering SIGs 

STC SIGs are like areas where outside professions insert specialized instances of their expertise into our profession. But what if we could reverse that gateway? Our SIGs could be an excellent outreach channel to market our specialized knowledge into those other professions.

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC

Dip Management 

We go from one moment being very proficient with our current tool or technology to being pretty stupid with a new one. So the basic question every user ends up answering is Was the improvement labeled "B" worth the pain and humiliation labeled "A?"

Hughes, Michael A. User Assistance (2009). Articles>Technology>User Experience