Description
Book SynopsisThe 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 o
Table of Contents
- 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- Avoid writing information that will become outdated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
