Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors

The #1 Guide to Excellence in Technical Communication—Fully Updated for Embedded Assistance, Mobile, Search, Multimedia, and More   Direct from IBM’s own content design experts, this guide shows you how to design product interfaces and technical information that always place users front and center. This edition has been fully revised to help you consistently deliver the right content at the right time.   You’ll master today’s best practices to apply nine essential characteristics of high-quality technical information: accuracy, clarity, completeness, concreteness, organization, retrievability, style, task orientation, and visual effectiveness.   Coverage Includes Advocating for users throughout the entire product development process Delivering information in an ordered manner by following progressive disclosure techniques Optimizing content so that users can find it from anywhere Streamlining information for mobile delivery Helping users right where they are Whether you’re a writer, editor, information architect, user experience professional, or reviewer, this book shows you how to create great technical information, from the product design to the user interface, topics, and other media. Thoroughly revised and updated Extensive new coverage of self-documenting interfaces and embedded assistance Updated practical guidelines and checklists Hundreds of new examples    

Table of Contents:
Preface    xvii Acknowledgments    xix About the authors    xxiii Part 1. Introduction    1 Chapter 1. Technical information continues to evolve    3 Embedded assistance    4 Progressive disclosure of information    9 The technical writer’s role today    11 Redefining quality technical information    13 Chapter 2. Developing quality technical information    15 Preparing to write: understanding users, goals, and product tasks    16 Writing and rewriting    17 Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical information    19 Part 2. Easy to use    21 Chapter 3. Task orientation    23 Write for the intended audience    25 Present information from the users’ point of view    27 Focus on users’ goals    32 Identify tasks that support users’ goals    33 Write user-oriented task topics, not function-oriented task topics    35 Avoid an unnecessary focus on product features    41 Indicate a practical reason for information    46 Provide clear, step-by-step instructions    49 Make each step a clear action for users to take    51 Group steps for usability    53 Clearly identify steps that are optional or conditional    58 Task orientation checklist    64 Chapter 4. Accuracy    67 Research before you write    69 Verify information that you write    74 Maintain information currency    79 Keep up with technical changes    79 Avoid writing information that will become outdated    82 Maintain consistency in all information about a subject    86 Reuse information when possible    86 Avoid introducing inconsistencies    88 Use tools that automate checking for accuracy    93 Accuracy checklist    96 Chapter 5. Completeness    99 Make user interfaces self-documenting    101 Apply a pattern for disclosing information    107 Cover all subjects that support users’ goals and only those subjects    115 Create an outline or topic model    115 Include only information based on user goals    118 Make sure concepts and reference topics support the goals    122 Cover each subject in only as much detail as users need    123 Provide appropriate detail for your users and their experience level    123 Include enough information    130 Include only necessary information    136 Repeat information only when users will benefit from it    141 Completeness checklist    148 Part 3. Easy to understand    151 Chapter 6. Clarity    153 Focus on the meaning    155 Eliminate wordiness    161 Write coherently    174 Avoid ambiguity    180 Use words as only one part of speech    180 Avoid empty words    183 Use words with a clear meaning    187 Write positively    189 Make the syntax of sentences clear    194 Use pronouns correctly    199 Place modifiers appropriately    201 Use technical terms consistently and appropriately    205 Decide whether to use a term    205 Use terms consistently    207 Define each term that is new to the intended audience    210 Clarity checklist    212 Chapter 7. Concreteness    215 Consider the skill level and needs of users    220 Use concreteness elements that are appropriate for the information type    223 Use focused, realistic, and up-to-date concreteness elements    240 Use scenarios to illustrate tasks and to provide overviews    243 Make code examples and samples easy to use    247 Set the context for examples and scenarios    251 Use similes and analogies to relate unfamiliar information to familiar information    253 Use specific language    256 Concreteness checklist    259 Chapter 8. Style    261 Use active and passive voice appropriately    263 Convey the right tone    267 Avoid gender and cultural bias    273 Spell terms consistently and correctly    276 Use proper capitalization    280 Use consistent and correct punctuation    284 Apply consistent highlighting    296 Make elements parallel    302 Apply templates and reuse commonly used expressions    305 Use consistent markup tagging    311 Style checklist    314 Part 4. Easy to find    317 Chapter 9. Organization    319 Put information where users expect it    322 Separate contextual information from other types of information    324 Separate contextual information into the appropriate type of embedded assistance    332 Separate noncontextual information into discrete topics by type    337 Arrange elements to facilitate navigation    345 Organize elements sequentially    350 Organize elements consistently    354 Reveal how elements fit together    360 Emphasize main points; subordinate secondary points    366 Organization checklist    376 Chapter 10. Retrievability    379 Optimize for searching and browsing    381 Use clear, descriptive titles    381 Use keywords effectively    384 Optimize the table of contents for scanning    389 Guide users through the information    394 Link appropriately    399 Link to essential information    400 Avoid redundant links    405 Use effective wording for links    409 Provide helpful entry points    413 Retrievability checklist    420 Chapter 11. Visual effectiveness    421 Apply visual design practices to textual elements    424 Use graphics that are meaningful and appropriate    431 Illustrate significant tasks and concepts    431 Make information interactive    441 Use screen captures judiciously    448 Apply a consistent visual style    460 Use visual elements to help users find what they need    467 Ensure that visual elements are accessible to all users    478 Visual effectiveness checklist    483 Part 5. Putting it all together    485 Chapter 12. Applying more than one quality characteristic    487 Applying quality characteristics to progressively disclosed information    488 Applying quality characteristics to information for an international audience    494 Applying quality characteristics to topic-based information    501 Chapter 13. Reviewing, testing, and evaluating technical information    515 Reviewing technical information    516 Testing information for usability    518 Testing technical information    524 Editing and evaluating technical information    527 Reading and editing the information    531 Reviewing the visual elements    536 Part 6. Appendixes    543 Appendix A. Quality checklist    545 Appendix B. Who checks which characteristics?    549 Glossary    555 Resources and references    565 Index    573