exotribe

Elizabeth Filippo, a colleague at Configuresoft, has written the cover article in the December 2007 edition of intercom, the trade publication of the Society for Technical Communications.

Her article describes how to adopt traditional usability techniques (ala Alan Cooper) into your documentation development projects.

Elizabeth writes:

Phases of Document Development
Traditional document design and development consist of
the following tasks:
• Audience analysis
• Design
• Development
• Review
• Release

We begin by assessing our audience and how they will be
using the product. We then combine that knowledge with
product knowledge and solid document design principles to
create our design, or structure. Development comes next, followed
by a documentation review (and perhaps a Beta test if
we’re lucky). When release time comes, it’s back to the drawing
board to document the next set of features. Follow these
steps, and your bear will dance. Incorporate usability methods
into these activities, however, and your bear may become
the new Nureyev.

Note: the article is only available to STC members.

Published December 17 2007

Technorati Tags: Documentation Design Usability