Point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling can complement governmental environmental policie... more Point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling can complement governmental environmental policies by enabling consumers to address environmental problems via their purchasing power. Environmental labels can also provide manufacturers with an economic incentive-via consumer purchasing behaviorto create products that do less damage to the environment. In this article we first discuss the value of environmental information labeling systems and review the strengths and weaknesses of the major design approaches, showing the benefits of categorical comparative labels for presenting environmental information. Then we describe a point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling system for durable and semi-durable consumer goods: the Environmental Life-Cycle Rating Label (ELCRL). This label provides a standard way of communicating complex life-cycle environmental impacts to consumers in a relatively simple way. Finally, we describe a study that gathered feedback on the ELCRL label and reveals that ELCRL elicits a positive response and expands people's conception of the environmental impact of a product.
QuikScan is an innovative format that makes print and online documents more usable. QuikScan empl... more QuikScan is an innovative format that makes print and online documents more usable. QuikScan employs within-document summaries formatted as numbered list items. These numbers correspond to numbers placed in the body of the document where the summarized ideas are discussed in full. QuikScan enables readers to (1) read summaries instead of the detailed content, (2) use the summaries as previews, (3) navigate quickly to the place where a summarized idea is fully discussed in the body of the document, and (4) direct other individuals to locations in the document. QuikScan is nonproprietary; anyone is free to use it and adapt it to their needs. Requirements: QuikScanning requires the skills of a talented editor and takes practice to master. QuikScanners must choose among four kinds of summaries and three numbering systems, depending on the document's heading structure and other factors. Document elements such as graphics require special techniques. The list items that make up QuikScan summaries must be skillfully written, and target numbers must be placed with care. Results: Empirical studies have demonstrated that QuikScan improves comprehension and the ability to navigate quickly through a document. In addition, QuikScan is regarded positively by readers. A pilot study suggests the value of QuikScan for blind readers. Drawbacks and limitations: QuikScan requires extra work, makes documents longer, and increases both visual complexity and the number of short pages. It is not suitable for documents that do not much benefit from summarization or for documents with free-form layouts.
QuikScan is an innovative document format aimed at facilitating reading and information navigatio... more QuikScan is an innovative document format aimed at facilitating reading and information navigation in documents. It employs multiple within-document summaries formatted as numbered list items to summarize the gist of each section of a document. The presence of the summaries, with a fine level of granularity, enables readers to skim for the superordinate ideas of each section and locate particular items of information quickly and efficiently. This paper focuses on an empirical study of information navigation with QuikScan. Forty participants completed timed information navigating tasks using either a QuikScan or control version of a document with conventional formatting. This study demonstrates intriguing and important findings. Those who read QuikScan were able to locate the superordinate content items significantly faster with a significantly higher accuracy rate. However, QuikScan readers did not perform better on items of lesser importance than those who read the control version.
Page 1. Improving Reading with QuikScan: Introduction and Experimental Validation Quan Zhou Depar... more Page 1. Improving Reading with QuikScan: Introduction and Experimental Validation Quan Zhou Department of Technical Communication, University of Washington Qzhougu.washington.edu Abstract QuikScan is an innovative ...
AbsfractAlthough editors make extensive use of the computer in their work, most editors still mar... more AbsfractAlthough editors make extensive use of the computer in their work, most editors still mark changes on paper using traditional editing symbols. There are, however, compelling reasons for editors to begin marking copy on the computer. In this article we consider online editing from the perspective both of editors and their employers. We then focus on one aspect of online editing: the markup models embodied in various editing tools. We demonstrate that the different markup models and their particular implementations have major implications for the editing process, including the quality of edited material and the worklife satisfaction of editors and writers. We conclude by recommondig that the technical communication community exert its influence on software developers and corporate technology planners to encourage the development and adoption of online editing tools that will be congenial to editors. IGNIFICANT writing projects in the workplace are gener-S ally carried out by a group of people working together 111. Typically, a team of writers will contribute components of the eventual whole. In the process, they are likely to informally edit each other's contributions. The draft may also undergo review by higher-level subject-matter experts, whose focus will be technical accuracy and appropriateness for the intended audience [ 2 ] , 131. Very often, a professional editor will apply his or her communication expertise to the document. Today's computer technology can provide impressive support for many group-writing activities. Writers can easily share fully formatted drafts over computer networks, either within their building or across continents. The computer can also serve as a project librarian, keeping track of who has (and has had) each section of the document and controlling who can change certain components. The review process is also reasonably well supported: features such as hidden text, pop-up notes, and special annotation footnotes allow reviewers to comment on the author's draft. Soon it will be commonplace for reviewers to embed audio and even video clips anyplace in the author's document where they want to commenl. There is, however, one part of the review process in which computer support is considerably less effective: editing. Consequently, although almost every stage in the preparation of typical workplace documents is digital, most editors, as we shall see, continue to work with paper and pencil. This situation and the prospects for change are the starting point Manuscript
During the past decade, few efforts aimed at the articulatio n of new computer documentation mode... more During the past decade, few efforts aimed at the articulatio n of new computer documentation models have inspired a s much interest within the documentation community as ha s John Carroll's formulation of the tenets of "minimalism ." In our experience, however, minimalism is often incorrectl y understood by practitioners simply as a prescription fo r brevity. Minimalism is, in fact, more complex than this. I n "The Minimal Manual" (1987-88) Carroll and his coauthor s suggest that minimalism comprises four characteristics : (1) brevity (or perhaps conciseness), (2) focus on real tasks, (3) support of error recognition and recovery efforts, and (4) adoption of an instructional philosophy termed "guide d exploration. " SIGCHI Bulletin
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1990
In The Numberg Funnel, John Carroll reviews and reformulates his research on minimalism, a well-k... more In The Numberg Funnel, John Carroll reviews and reformulates his research on minimalism, a well-known approach to both print and online software documentation in which explicit instruction is severely reduced and users learn through a predominantly exploratory process. Although The Nurnberg Funnel is a stimulating and valuable book, Carroll fails to make a compelling case for minimalism as a broadly applicable alternative to the contemporary multi-component documentation set. OHN M. CARROLL, a social scientist at IBM's Watson J Research Center, has conducted a very active research program in the areas of computer documentation and interface design for most of the 1980s. Among his influential publications are "The Minimal Manual" [l], "The Paradox of the Active User" [2], and "LisaLearning" [3]. A large portion of his work has concerned "minimalist" documentation, and this term has become widely known in the computer documentation community, though it is sometimes misunderstood simply as a commitment to brevity. The Nurnberg Funnel has afforded Carroll the opportunity to sum up and reformulate his research on minimalism, and to describe some of his most recent projects. (The name of the book, incidentally, comes from the legendary Funnel of Nurnberg, through which knowledge could simply be poured into the brain of the learner.) At the same time the book affords the documentation community the opportunity to examine minimalism and the case Carroll makes for minimalist instruction. This review is part of such an effort. We approach Carroll's work on minimalism both from the perspective of contemporary professional practice (Farkas) and instructional theory (Williams). The book, we find, fails to make a convincing case for minimalism as a design alternative. Carroll originally developed the minimalist model in opposition to what he calls the "systems approach" to documentation, and in The Nurnberg Funnel he presents minimalism in direct contrast to the systems approach. The systems approach, however, is an outmoded and largely abandoned documentation model and is itself based on the largely aban-D. K. Farkas and T. Williams are with the
ACM Sigdoc Asterisk Journal of Computer Documentation, May 1, 1993
Balloon Help, which is becoming standard in the Macintosh world, enables the user to display brie... more Balloon Help, which is becoming standard in the Macintosh world, enables the user to display brief annotations of interface objects by passing the pointer (cursor) over those objects. This investigation explains the operation of Balloon Help, presents the theoretical and empirical rationale for Balloon Help, assesses its value in supporting both exploration of an interface and task-focused behavior, considers its relationship with other forms of help, and evaluates some possible modifications of Balloon Help. Balloon Help is viewed as a successful implementation of minimalist principles that nevertheless needs to be supplemented by other forms of documentation.
Many people-especially knowledge workers-experience information overload, lack sufficient time to... more Many people-especially knowledge workers-experience information overload, lack sufficient time to read, and therefore choose to read selectively within texts. QuikScan Views is a new Web-based reading environment that provides extensive support for selective reading. It is an enhancement of QuikScan, an empirically validated document format that employs a multiple summary approach to facilitate selective reading, enable quick access to specific ideas in the body of the document, and improve text recall. QuikScan Views provides a hyperlinked table of contents for global navigation, displays QuikScan summaries in a scrolling window (as well as within the body of the document), and adds an extra level of summarization by means of a hyperlinked structured abstract. A QuikScan Views document gives the reader choices of pathways through the document corresponding to the time the reader wishes to invest and the reader's desire to increase their recall of the document.
Concepts are thoughts made clear and distinct by the distinctions we draw at their boundaries. Th... more Concepts are thoughts made clear and distinct by the distinctions we draw at their boundaries. The concept “conifer” comes about when we begin to make a specific distinction about the features of certain trees. If we cannot formulate such a distinction, we do not have the concept. As the computer industry changes, much depends on our ability to formulate new and relevant distinctions and to thereby refocus old concepts and make new ones possible. Otherwise, our overall understanding of our field will diminish and our day-to-day work will in subtle ways become less effective. As documentation specialists, our view of the computer industry is necessarily different from that of those who design systems, manufacture systems, or market systems. Thus, we need to carve up the universe in ways that are most useful for our work. At the same time, of course, we have to understand and use the distinctions made elsewhere in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to point out four traditional distinctions within the computer industry that are not highly serviceable to those engaged in documentation and to describe refinements upon or alternatives to those distinctions. The distinctions are as follows:Computer systems and noncomputer systems Computer hardware and software Documentation and interface Print and online documentation As we shall see, the distinction between computer hardware and software has always presented significant conceptual difficulties in the area of documentation. In the case of the other distinctions, the difficulties have come about or have been exacerbated by technological change.
Consumer-decision labels are relatively small panels of information, placed where consumers make ... more Consumer-decision labels are relatively small panels of information, placed where consumers make decisions, that help those consumers make informed choices and, at times, motivate desired behaviors. They provide information about environmental impact/sustainability, nutrition, health, safety, the quality and suitability of consumer goods, and other domains. Design patterns are expanded guidelines that follow a problem-solution structure, provide more context than standard guidelines, and are supported when possible by citations to relevant research and professional literature. Pattern libraries are sets of coordinated patterns that strive to comprehensively support the design process in a particular domain. Pattern libraries have proven successful and are now used in such domains as urban planning, object-oriented programming, software user interface design, and web design. LabelPatterns.org is a newly launched website currently hosting over 75 design patterns that support the design of consumerdecision labels. It also offers other kinds of information about these labels and related messaging. The patterns and the website were begun as student projects in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, USA. It is now being managed and expanded by a volunteer project team.
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1987
ABSTRACT Let us, the Communication Technology editors, take this opportunity to introduce one of ... more ABSTRACT Let us, the Communication Technology editors, take this opportunity to introduce one of the new departments that will be appearing in the Transactions. Beginning with the June issue, you can expect either a full-scale article or at least a column on the technologies that are changing the way professional communicators do their work. These technologies include text processing systems, electronic and desktop publishing systems, communication networks, online help facilities, and tools to improve user interfaces. We want to discuss the practical impact of these technologies on job definitions, work flow, shop organization, project management, and the internal and external flow of information.
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1987
Not too long ago, publication tasks such as layout, font selection, merging of text and graphics,... more Not too long ago, publication tasks such as layout, font selection, merging of text and graphics, and copyfitting were addressed only by communication professionals. Now, programs like Pagemaker by Aldus and Ventura Publisher by Xerox make these issues just another personal computer application, like spreadsheets, calendars, and word processing. The impact of desktop publishing (DTP) is already being hotly debated, and we open this new IEEE Transactions section on communication technology with an article that has significant implications for this debate.
Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. eBooks, Mar 1, 1993
From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developin... more From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developing Online Help for Windows is the essential guide to planning, writing, and building Windows Help. It is a valuable resource for both programmers and documentation writers who are involved in creating Windows Help systems. First, you study the design and writing aspects of creating Help. Learn how to coordinate Help with your print documentation; write Help topics and use layout and graphics effectively; and design your contents screens, search keyword list, hypertext jumps, and other forms of access to Help information. Then you advance to actually building the Help system. Learn how to code topic files; incorporate graphics; work with Help macros; make the project (HPJ) file; compile, test, and debug your Help system; manage the entire project; and adopt automated Help development tools such as Doc-To-Help and RoboHelp. This book offers practical guidance and specific techniques backed by clearly explained concepts and principles. At last those who create Windows Help systems have an essential resource - Developing Online Help for Windows.
From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developin... more From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developing Online Help for Windows is the essential guide to planning, writing, and building Windows Help. It is a valuable resource for both programmers and documentation writers who are involved in creating Windows Help systems. First, you study the design and writing aspects of creating Help. Learn how to coordinate Help with your print documentation; write Help topics and use layout and graphics effectively; and design your contents screens, search keyword list, hypertext jumps, and other forms of access to Help information. Then you advance to actually building the Help system. Learn how to code topic files; incorporate graphics; work with Help macros; make the project (HPJ) file; compile, test, and debug your Help system; manage the entire project; and adopt automated Help development tools such as Doc-To-Help and RoboHelp. This book offers practical guidance and specific techniques backed ...
Point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling can complement governmental environmental policie... more Point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling can complement governmental environmental policies by enabling consumers to address environmental problems via their purchasing power. Environmental labels can also provide manufacturers with an economic incentive-via consumer purchasing behaviorto create products that do less damage to the environment. In this article we first discuss the value of environmental information labeling systems and review the strengths and weaknesses of the major design approaches, showing the benefits of categorical comparative labels for presenting environmental information. Then we describe a point-of-purchase environmental impact labeling system for durable and semi-durable consumer goods: the Environmental Life-Cycle Rating Label (ELCRL). This label provides a standard way of communicating complex life-cycle environmental impacts to consumers in a relatively simple way. Finally, we describe a study that gathered feedback on the ELCRL label and reveals that ELCRL elicits a positive response and expands people's conception of the environmental impact of a product.
QuikScan is an innovative format that makes print and online documents more usable. QuikScan empl... more QuikScan is an innovative format that makes print and online documents more usable. QuikScan employs within-document summaries formatted as numbered list items. These numbers correspond to numbers placed in the body of the document where the summarized ideas are discussed in full. QuikScan enables readers to (1) read summaries instead of the detailed content, (2) use the summaries as previews, (3) navigate quickly to the place where a summarized idea is fully discussed in the body of the document, and (4) direct other individuals to locations in the document. QuikScan is nonproprietary; anyone is free to use it and adapt it to their needs. Requirements: QuikScanning requires the skills of a talented editor and takes practice to master. QuikScanners must choose among four kinds of summaries and three numbering systems, depending on the document's heading structure and other factors. Document elements such as graphics require special techniques. The list items that make up QuikScan summaries must be skillfully written, and target numbers must be placed with care. Results: Empirical studies have demonstrated that QuikScan improves comprehension and the ability to navigate quickly through a document. In addition, QuikScan is regarded positively by readers. A pilot study suggests the value of QuikScan for blind readers. Drawbacks and limitations: QuikScan requires extra work, makes documents longer, and increases both visual complexity and the number of short pages. It is not suitable for documents that do not much benefit from summarization or for documents with free-form layouts.
QuikScan is an innovative document format aimed at facilitating reading and information navigatio... more QuikScan is an innovative document format aimed at facilitating reading and information navigation in documents. It employs multiple within-document summaries formatted as numbered list items to summarize the gist of each section of a document. The presence of the summaries, with a fine level of granularity, enables readers to skim for the superordinate ideas of each section and locate particular items of information quickly and efficiently. This paper focuses on an empirical study of information navigation with QuikScan. Forty participants completed timed information navigating tasks using either a QuikScan or control version of a document with conventional formatting. This study demonstrates intriguing and important findings. Those who read QuikScan were able to locate the superordinate content items significantly faster with a significantly higher accuracy rate. However, QuikScan readers did not perform better on items of lesser importance than those who read the control version.
Page 1. Improving Reading with QuikScan: Introduction and Experimental Validation Quan Zhou Depar... more Page 1. Improving Reading with QuikScan: Introduction and Experimental Validation Quan Zhou Department of Technical Communication, University of Washington Qzhougu.washington.edu Abstract QuikScan is an innovative ...
AbsfractAlthough editors make extensive use of the computer in their work, most editors still mar... more AbsfractAlthough editors make extensive use of the computer in their work, most editors still mark changes on paper using traditional editing symbols. There are, however, compelling reasons for editors to begin marking copy on the computer. In this article we consider online editing from the perspective both of editors and their employers. We then focus on one aspect of online editing: the markup models embodied in various editing tools. We demonstrate that the different markup models and their particular implementations have major implications for the editing process, including the quality of edited material and the worklife satisfaction of editors and writers. We conclude by recommondig that the technical communication community exert its influence on software developers and corporate technology planners to encourage the development and adoption of online editing tools that will be congenial to editors. IGNIFICANT writing projects in the workplace are gener-S ally carried out by a group of people working together 111. Typically, a team of writers will contribute components of the eventual whole. In the process, they are likely to informally edit each other's contributions. The draft may also undergo review by higher-level subject-matter experts, whose focus will be technical accuracy and appropriateness for the intended audience [ 2 ] , 131. Very often, a professional editor will apply his or her communication expertise to the document. Today's computer technology can provide impressive support for many group-writing activities. Writers can easily share fully formatted drafts over computer networks, either within their building or across continents. The computer can also serve as a project librarian, keeping track of who has (and has had) each section of the document and controlling who can change certain components. The review process is also reasonably well supported: features such as hidden text, pop-up notes, and special annotation footnotes allow reviewers to comment on the author's draft. Soon it will be commonplace for reviewers to embed audio and even video clips anyplace in the author's document where they want to commenl. There is, however, one part of the review process in which computer support is considerably less effective: editing. Consequently, although almost every stage in the preparation of typical workplace documents is digital, most editors, as we shall see, continue to work with paper and pencil. This situation and the prospects for change are the starting point Manuscript
During the past decade, few efforts aimed at the articulatio n of new computer documentation mode... more During the past decade, few efforts aimed at the articulatio n of new computer documentation models have inspired a s much interest within the documentation community as ha s John Carroll's formulation of the tenets of "minimalism ." In our experience, however, minimalism is often incorrectl y understood by practitioners simply as a prescription fo r brevity. Minimalism is, in fact, more complex than this. I n "The Minimal Manual" (1987-88) Carroll and his coauthor s suggest that minimalism comprises four characteristics : (1) brevity (or perhaps conciseness), (2) focus on real tasks, (3) support of error recognition and recovery efforts, and (4) adoption of an instructional philosophy termed "guide d exploration. " SIGCHI Bulletin
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1990
In The Numberg Funnel, John Carroll reviews and reformulates his research on minimalism, a well-k... more In The Numberg Funnel, John Carroll reviews and reformulates his research on minimalism, a well-known approach to both print and online software documentation in which explicit instruction is severely reduced and users learn through a predominantly exploratory process. Although The Nurnberg Funnel is a stimulating and valuable book, Carroll fails to make a compelling case for minimalism as a broadly applicable alternative to the contemporary multi-component documentation set. OHN M. CARROLL, a social scientist at IBM's Watson J Research Center, has conducted a very active research program in the areas of computer documentation and interface design for most of the 1980s. Among his influential publications are "The Minimal Manual" [l], "The Paradox of the Active User" [2], and "LisaLearning" [3]. A large portion of his work has concerned "minimalist" documentation, and this term has become widely known in the computer documentation community, though it is sometimes misunderstood simply as a commitment to brevity. The Nurnberg Funnel has afforded Carroll the opportunity to sum up and reformulate his research on minimalism, and to describe some of his most recent projects. (The name of the book, incidentally, comes from the legendary Funnel of Nurnberg, through which knowledge could simply be poured into the brain of the learner.) At the same time the book affords the documentation community the opportunity to examine minimalism and the case Carroll makes for minimalist instruction. This review is part of such an effort. We approach Carroll's work on minimalism both from the perspective of contemporary professional practice (Farkas) and instructional theory (Williams). The book, we find, fails to make a convincing case for minimalism as a design alternative. Carroll originally developed the minimalist model in opposition to what he calls the "systems approach" to documentation, and in The Nurnberg Funnel he presents minimalism in direct contrast to the systems approach. The systems approach, however, is an outmoded and largely abandoned documentation model and is itself based on the largely aban-D. K. Farkas and T. Williams are with the
ACM Sigdoc Asterisk Journal of Computer Documentation, May 1, 1993
Balloon Help, which is becoming standard in the Macintosh world, enables the user to display brie... more Balloon Help, which is becoming standard in the Macintosh world, enables the user to display brief annotations of interface objects by passing the pointer (cursor) over those objects. This investigation explains the operation of Balloon Help, presents the theoretical and empirical rationale for Balloon Help, assesses its value in supporting both exploration of an interface and task-focused behavior, considers its relationship with other forms of help, and evaluates some possible modifications of Balloon Help. Balloon Help is viewed as a successful implementation of minimalist principles that nevertheless needs to be supplemented by other forms of documentation.
Many people-especially knowledge workers-experience information overload, lack sufficient time to... more Many people-especially knowledge workers-experience information overload, lack sufficient time to read, and therefore choose to read selectively within texts. QuikScan Views is a new Web-based reading environment that provides extensive support for selective reading. It is an enhancement of QuikScan, an empirically validated document format that employs a multiple summary approach to facilitate selective reading, enable quick access to specific ideas in the body of the document, and improve text recall. QuikScan Views provides a hyperlinked table of contents for global navigation, displays QuikScan summaries in a scrolling window (as well as within the body of the document), and adds an extra level of summarization by means of a hyperlinked structured abstract. A QuikScan Views document gives the reader choices of pathways through the document corresponding to the time the reader wishes to invest and the reader's desire to increase their recall of the document.
Concepts are thoughts made clear and distinct by the distinctions we draw at their boundaries. Th... more Concepts are thoughts made clear and distinct by the distinctions we draw at their boundaries. The concept “conifer” comes about when we begin to make a specific distinction about the features of certain trees. If we cannot formulate such a distinction, we do not have the concept. As the computer industry changes, much depends on our ability to formulate new and relevant distinctions and to thereby refocus old concepts and make new ones possible. Otherwise, our overall understanding of our field will diminish and our day-to-day work will in subtle ways become less effective. As documentation specialists, our view of the computer industry is necessarily different from that of those who design systems, manufacture systems, or market systems. Thus, we need to carve up the universe in ways that are most useful for our work. At the same time, of course, we have to understand and use the distinctions made elsewhere in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to point out four traditional distinctions within the computer industry that are not highly serviceable to those engaged in documentation and to describe refinements upon or alternatives to those distinctions. The distinctions are as follows:Computer systems and noncomputer systems Computer hardware and software Documentation and interface Print and online documentation As we shall see, the distinction between computer hardware and software has always presented significant conceptual difficulties in the area of documentation. In the case of the other distinctions, the difficulties have come about or have been exacerbated by technological change.
Consumer-decision labels are relatively small panels of information, placed where consumers make ... more Consumer-decision labels are relatively small panels of information, placed where consumers make decisions, that help those consumers make informed choices and, at times, motivate desired behaviors. They provide information about environmental impact/sustainability, nutrition, health, safety, the quality and suitability of consumer goods, and other domains. Design patterns are expanded guidelines that follow a problem-solution structure, provide more context than standard guidelines, and are supported when possible by citations to relevant research and professional literature. Pattern libraries are sets of coordinated patterns that strive to comprehensively support the design process in a particular domain. Pattern libraries have proven successful and are now used in such domains as urban planning, object-oriented programming, software user interface design, and web design. LabelPatterns.org is a newly launched website currently hosting over 75 design patterns that support the design of consumerdecision labels. It also offers other kinds of information about these labels and related messaging. The patterns and the website were begun as student projects in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, USA. It is now being managed and expanded by a volunteer project team.
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1987
ABSTRACT Let us, the Communication Technology editors, take this opportunity to introduce one of ... more ABSTRACT Let us, the Communication Technology editors, take this opportunity to introduce one of the new departments that will be appearing in the Transactions. Beginning with the June issue, you can expect either a full-scale article or at least a column on the technologies that are changing the way professional communicators do their work. These technologies include text processing systems, electronic and desktop publishing systems, communication networks, online help facilities, and tools to improve user interfaces. We want to discuss the practical impact of these technologies on job definitions, work flow, shop organization, project management, and the internal and external flow of information.
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1987
Not too long ago, publication tasks such as layout, font selection, merging of text and graphics,... more Not too long ago, publication tasks such as layout, font selection, merging of text and graphics, and copyfitting were addressed only by communication professionals. Now, programs like Pagemaker by Aldus and Ventura Publisher by Xerox make these issues just another personal computer application, like spreadsheets, calendars, and word processing. The impact of desktop publishing (DTP) is already being hotly debated, and we open this new IEEE Transactions section on communication technology with an article that has significant implications for this debate.
Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. eBooks, Mar 1, 1993
From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developin... more From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developing Online Help for Windows is the essential guide to planning, writing, and building Windows Help. It is a valuable resource for both programmers and documentation writers who are involved in creating Windows Help systems. First, you study the design and writing aspects of creating Help. Learn how to coordinate Help with your print documentation; write Help topics and use layout and graphics effectively; and design your contents screens, search keyword list, hypertext jumps, and other forms of access to Help information. Then you advance to actually building the Help system. Learn how to code topic files; incorporate graphics; work with Help macros; make the project (HPJ) file; compile, test, and debug your Help system; manage the entire project; and adopt automated Help development tools such as Doc-To-Help and RoboHelp. This book offers practical guidance and specific techniques backed by clearly explained concepts and principles. At last those who create Windows Help systems have an essential resource - Developing Online Help for Windows.
From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developin... more From the Publisher: Virtually every Windows application includes an online Help system. Developing Online Help for Windows is the essential guide to planning, writing, and building Windows Help. It is a valuable resource for both programmers and documentation writers who are involved in creating Windows Help systems. First, you study the design and writing aspects of creating Help. Learn how to coordinate Help with your print documentation; write Help topics and use layout and graphics effectively; and design your contents screens, search keyword list, hypertext jumps, and other forms of access to Help information. Then you advance to actually building the Help system. Learn how to code topic files; incorporate graphics; work with Help macros; make the project (HPJ) file; compile, test, and debug your Help system; manage the entire project; and adopt automated Help development tools such as Doc-To-Help and RoboHelp. This book offers practical guidance and specific techniques backed ...
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Papers by David Farkas