Today, technical communicators have an even greater responsibility to help their organizations create easy-to-use, leading-edge products. The era of simply "papering" a product with lengthy manuals is over: now, communicators need to create self-documenting interfaces and self-correcting messages, and help product teams craft offerings that always place the user front-and-center. The newest edition of IBM's classic Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors focuses squarely on these new realities. It introduces a new technical communications model…mehr
Today, technical communicators have an even greater responsibility to help their organizations create easy-to-use, leading-edge products. The era of simply "papering" a product with lengthy manuals is over: now, communicators need to create self-documenting interfaces and self-correcting messages, and help product teams craft offerings that always place the user front-and-center.
The newest edition of IBM's classic Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors focuses squarely on these new realities. It introduces a new technical communications model that:
Involves technical communicators during the product design phaseDrawing on IBM's unsurpassed technical communications experience, readers discover today's best practices for meeting nine quality characteristics: accuracy, clarity, completeness, concreteness, organization, retrievability, style, task orientation, and visual effectiveness. Packed with guidelines, checklists, and before-and-after examples, Developing Quality Technical Information, Third Edition is an indispensable resource for the future of technical communication.Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.
The authors are all long-standing and respected members of the information development community at IBM. Although the authors have served in various roles throughout their careers, information quality has always been and continues to be their primary focus. Michelle Carey is an information architect and technical editor at IBM and has taught technical communication at University of California Santa Cruz Extension. Michelle is the co-author of the book DITA Best Practices: A Roadmap for Writing, Editing, and Architecting in DITA. She is an expert on topic-based information systems, software product error messages, grammar, embedded assistance for user interfaces, and writing for international audiences. She also writes computational linguistic rules for a grammar, style, and terminology management tool. Michelle enjoys teaching, grammar, herding cats, and riding and driving anything with a lot of horsepower. Moira McFadden Lanyi is an information architect and technical editor at IBM. She has experience with topic-based writing, DITA, embedded assistance, user interface design, and visual design. She created 99% of the artwork in this book. She is a co-author of the book An Introduction to IMS. Moira enjoys visiting San Francisco with her family as often as possible, cooking fresh, healthy meals, and watching her courageous son ride his unicycle and surf. Deirdre Longo is an information architect and strategist at IBM. She has been a pioneer for embedded assistance in IBM: defining the scope of that term, developing standards for embedded assistance, and modeling how to work effectively in cross-disciplinary teams. She has taught webinars for the Society of Technical Communication (STC) and published articles on information architecture topics in STC’s Intercom. She is an avid yoga practitioner. Eric Radzinski is a technical editor and information architect for industry-leading mainframe database software at IBM. He is a co-author of The IBM Style Guide: Conventions for Writers and Editors and is well versed in topic-based writing, embedded assistance, DITA, and writing for a global audience. Eric makes his home in San Jose, California, with his wife and their three children. Shannon Rouiller is an information architect and technical editor at IBM. She has experience with quality metrics, topic-based information systems, DITA, videos, embedded assistance, and user interface design. She is a co-author of the book Designing Effective Wizards. Shannon dabbles in sports photography and likes to solve puzzles. Elizabeth Wilde is an information quality strategist at IBM, developing strategies and education for developing high-quality content. She develops Acrolinx computational linguistic rules that enforce grammar, style, and DITA tagging rules. She teaches an extension course in technical writing at the University of California Santa Cruz. Her hobbies include growing cacti and succulents and collecting tattoos.
Inhaltsangabe
Preface Acknowledgments About the authors Part 1. Introduction Chapter 1. Technical information continues to evolve Embedded assistance Progressive disclosure of information The technical writer’s role today Redefining quality technical information Chapter 2. Developing quality technical information Preparing to write: understanding users, goals, and product tasks Writing and rewriting Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical information Part 2. Easy to use Chapter 3. Task orientation Write for the intended audience Present information from the users’ point of view Focus on users’ goals Identify tasks that support users’ goals Write user-oriented task topics, not function-oriented task topics Avoid an unnecessary focus on product features Indicate a practical reason for information Provide clear, step-by-step instructions Make each step a clear action for users to take Group steps for usability Clearly identify steps that are optional or conditional Task orientation checklist Chapter 4. Accuracy Research before you write Verify information that you write Maintain information currency Keep up with technical changes Avoid writing information that will become outdated Maintain consistency in all information about a subject Reuse information when possible
Preface Acknowledgments About the authors Part 1. Introduction Chapter 1. Technical information continues to evolve Embedded assistance Progressive disclosure of information The technical writer’s role today Redefining quality technical information Chapter 2. Developing quality technical information Preparing to write: understanding users, goals, and product tasks Writing and rewriting Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical information Part 2. Easy to use Chapter 3. Task orientation Write for the intended audience Present information from the users’ point of view Focus on users’ goals Identify tasks that support users’ goals Write user-oriented task topics, not function-oriented task topics Avoid an unnecessary focus on product features Indicate a practical reason for information Provide clear, step-by-step instructions Make each step a clear action for users to take Group steps for usability Clearly identify steps that are optional or conditional Task orientation checklist Chapter 4. Accuracy Research before you write Verify information that you write Maintain information currency Keep up with technical changes Avoid writing information that will become outdated Maintain consistency in all information about a subject Reuse information when possible
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