bringing color to technical writing
DESCRIPTION
STC Conference 2008 Creative Ideas to publish online help and technical documentation.TRANSCRIPT
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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SPLASH OF REDSPLASH OF RED
Setting ABLAZE the creative side of technical communication
Is our strength our weakness too?
Traditional versus Technology – Who wins the game now?
A drop of design and a bottle of creativity!
What do we need? Instructions and Entertainment!
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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CREATIVELY designed technical documentation – possible?
The determination to do things differently
An insight into possible design scenarios
Vibrant ideas to bring color into technical writing
Creativity in Print Documentation
Creativity in Online Help
Successful implementation from a visual perspective
Small things do matter!
SPLASH OF SPLASH OF ORANGEORANGE
Our heart belongs to
the soul of writing,
Is it time to change?
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The creative side of a “TOC”
SPLASH OF SPLASH OF ORANGEORANGE
A “VISION” unfolds to learn and remember…
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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The growth of TECHNICAL DESIGNERS
As you sow so shall you reap!
Creating designers for documentation
The development of technical writers and technical designers
Collaborative mix of writing and design
Designer’s role with the writers
SPLASH OF SPLASH OF GREENGREEN
Is it innovation combined with intelligence?
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A new hope into the art of innovation and creativity
Advantages of having a designer in documentation
Knowledge required to be a technical designer
Overcoming the hurdles of a technical designer
Cost effectiveness and flexibility
Plan the time frame and implementation
The growth of Technical Designers – UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE
SPLASH OF SPLASH OF GREENGREEN
How important will technical designers be
in our field?
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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A FRESH BEGINNING in the art of writing
Making documentation shine in the industry
Joy of reading from a visual perspective
Add value to Online Help
Introduce new techniques in documentation
SPLASH OF SPLASH OF YELLOWYELLOW
Shall we start visualizing thought provoking ideas?
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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The MYSTERY behind a non-design documentation
Hindrances of design in technical writing
Will design hamper the main purpose of a guide?
Too many cooks spoil the broth – is this applicable for writers and designers?
Will we have a similarity with other forms of design and learning?
STRIKE OFSTRIKE OFBLACKBLACK
Will designing technical documentationbe an oxymoron statement?
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
Six Colors of Creativity in Technical Communication
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Print Documentation – The creative side (Example 1)
Different approach in the table of contents
An illustrative Caution
A narrative Note
STROKE OFSTROKE OFGOLDGOLD
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Print Documentation – The creative side (Example 2)
Step by step illustrative procedure
A mascot representing the user guide
Graphical representation of note and caution
Depicting page numbers differently
STROKE OFSTROKE OFGOLDGOLD
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Online Help – The creative side (Example 1)
Chapter names with respective thumbnails
Direct link to glossary and index
A picture frame for figures and tables which can be enlarged
Audio option to hear the procedure and content in online help.
STROKE OFSTROKE OFGOLDGOLD
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Online Help – The creative side (Example 2)
A captivate/flash video that displays an animation of the procedure involved for the chapter.
Note and caution displays a video of the content in the form of animation or narration.
STROKE OFSTROKE OFGOLDGOLD
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Energy
Passion
Growth
Innovation
Mystery
Wisdom
ILLUMINATING the art of design in documentation
STROKE OFSTROKE OFGOLDGOLD
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ERROR 404 – What happens when you click the wrong button?
An online troubleshooting guide:
A conversation about the problem and why it happened
How to overcome this problem
An option to learn more about the software or go back
A FINE A FINE EXAMPLEEXAMPLE
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Please shoot out your questions and have a great evening!