Let's Tech Communicate
February 2016
Latest trends in technical communication from around the world
Luke Pivac talks about Nemetics, explores a new platform for publishing product information, and asks how many technical communicators should be in an organisation. Plus, sage advice to our younger selves, different strategies for rolling out responsive design projects, and the rise of the part-time contributor. This and much more from around the ‘Net!
Out of this world
First up, Ray Gallon contemplates the “wicked problem” of trying to deliver just enough information to users when and where they need it, especially when we have no knowledge of their use scenarios. Nemetics offers an iterative approach to the problem, and encourages us to Notice, Engage, Mull, and Exchange; read more in Technical Communication: A wicked problem.
In our second article, Christopher Backmann explores TopicPilot, a platform used for publishing product information. It is based on media-specific requirements, for example, using it as an online help system and synchronising it to a mobile device. Backmann indicates that the most important part of the application is the efficient search algorithm. Find out more in Steering individualization.
Insights
In Structured authoring enables effective content reuse, Debarshi Gupta Biswas and Samiksha Chaudhuri highlight how focusing on methodology rather than structure can hinder effective content reuse.
Ellis Pratt asks How many technical writers should we have in our organisation?, which revisits a 2003 question about the ideal ratio of programmers/developers to technical writers.
Leah Guren calls on her 35 years of experience in the field to offer some sage advice in If I had known then what I know now: Words of advice to a new TC.
Even if you’re not a designer, you probably work with text. If so, you should know some basic typography guidelines that ensure a good visual experience for your users. In Text Rules You Need to Follow in 2016 to Achieve Awesome Design, Janie Kliever offers seven rules that will get you thinking about your font choices with a little more care and insight.
Lastly, Alan Pringle traverses Through balancing standardization against the needs for creativity. He reveals how companies can balance standardization and creativity to get optimal documentation – a win-win all around!
Latest trends
We open with Rolling out responsive by Karen McGrane. In it, McGrane notes that there are many different approaches to successfully rolling out responsive design, each with its own benefits and risks. Do you roll out in stages, or do everything at once? Beta version or ‘big reveal’?
Secondly, we look at the rise of part-time contributors. Alan Pringle says the writers aren’t the only ones in an organisation who can create content. Looking to the product developers and support team means you can access more contributors and potentially deliver better information to customers.
Tom Johnston provides a very interesting recording from a panel discussion on ‘Creating documentation for startups’.
Finally, one of my favourite subjects: Agile. In this article, Google technical communicator Sarah Maddox discusses Doc sprints, where technical communicators work with engineers and other product team members to develop and update documentation.
Look out for more tips, tricks, and fun in the world of technical communication in next month’s edition.