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October/November 2006 Volume 47, Number 2

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Technicalities Home

Columns:

Message from the Editor

President's Corner

Tips from the Trenches

Chapter News

STC News

STC RMC Home

STC International Home

Features...

A "Way Last Resort"?: A usability engineer investigates how one user finds help

World Usability Day, November 14, 2006: STC's involvement with World Usability Day

Remote Usability: Insight into New Tools: An overview of new tools for usability testing

Networking with Your Colleagues: October chapter meeting reviews

Word Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Taming Your Text: Book review

Technical Communicator Certification – Boon or Bane?: An STC task force explores the issue

Creating and supporting a forum for communities of practice in the profession of technical communication.

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© Copyright 2006 Rocky Mountain Chapter, Society for Technical Communication; all rights reserved.

Standard disclaimers apply.

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Columns:


President's Corner


Chapter News

STC News

Features:

A "Way Last Resort"?

World Usability Day, November 14, 2006

Remote Usability: Insight into New Tools

October Chapter Meeting Reviews

Word Hacks Book Review

Technical Communicator Certification – Boon or

Bane?

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Technicalities

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Editorial Staff

Newsletter Editors: Donna Brannan and Stephen Wertzbaugher HTML Editor: Dana Dutson Article Editors: Bridget Julian, Jay Mead, and Lynnette Reveling Newsletter Staff: Deb Lockwood Newsletter design by Steve Kavalec and Ron Arner

Technicalities is published bi-monthly by the Rocky Mountain Chapter (RMC) of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and is distributed to chapter members, editors of other STC newsletters, and officers of the Society. It is available on request to anyone interested in technical communication. Other STC chapters and publications may reprint material if credit is given.

This newsletter invites writers to submit articles on subjects of interest that they wish to be considered for publication to Society and chapter members. Please credit repeated material and send a copy of the original material to: [email protected]

Submission Guidelines

Submission deadlines and themes for the next year are as follows:

December/January issue, “Tools” & “Emerging Technologies,” Due December 1

February/March issue, “Training” and “Instructional Design & Learning, Due February 1

April/May issue, “Careers/Alternate Careers,” Due April 1

June/July issue, “Policies & Procedures,” Due June 1

The staff will also announce the upcoming issue and its theme via an e-mail to the membership and/or at chapter meetings.

The preferred word count for articles is 500-750 words. If your subject matter warrants it, articles longer than 1,000 words will be serialized between two or more issues.

Please e-mail all submissions to: [email protected] with the issue date, such as “October/November 2006,” in the subject line. The editor can be reached during the day at 303.956.1906, by e-mail at [email protected] and by postal mail at 6025 S. Quebec St., Suite 260, Englewood, CO 80111.

Submissions can be pasted into the body of the e-mail, or sent as an attachment. If you send your article as an attachment, it should be in either RTF or DOC format. Please include your contact information.




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A “headshot” of yourself to be printed with your article would be appreciated.

Note: By submitting an article, you implicitly grant a license to this newsletter to run the article and for other STC publications to reprint it without permission. Copyright is held by the writer. In your cover letter, please let the editor know if this article has run elsewhere, and if it has been submitted for consideration to other publications.

The Technicalities staff reserves the right to edit articles for clarity and length; substantive editing of feature articles will be reviewed with the author prior to publication.

STC RMC 2005-2006 Officers

Administrative Council

President: Deb Lockwood Vice President: Ron Arner Secretary: Al Kemp Treasurer: Jessica Betterly Past President: Marella Colyvas

Region 7 Director-Sponsor:

John Hedtke

STC RMC Committee Managers

Assistant to President: Frank Tagader Associate Fellow Nominations: Martha Sippel Database: Karen Kraft-Miller Hospitality: Julie Bettis Jobs: Anne Halsey Listserv: Karen Kraft-Miller Hospitality: Julie Bettis Membership: Tammy VanBoening Mentoring: Deb Lockwood Nominating Committee: Mary Jo Stark, Martha Sippel Programs: Kristy Astry Scholarships: Marc Lee and Don Zimmerman (Mentor) Seminars: Bette Frick Strategic Planning: Martha Sippel Volunteers: Ron Arner Web site: Anne Halsey

STC RMC SIG Managers

Consulting and Independent Contracting Special Interest Group (CIC SIG): Whitney Broach and Linda Gallagher Northern Colorado: Carmen Carmack Western Slope: Victoria Thomas

Society for Technical Communication, Rocky Mountain Chapter

General Chapter Business Rocky Mountain Chapter Society for Technical Communication 6025 S. Quebec St., Suite 260 Englewood, CO 80111 [email protected]

Job Postings Send job postings to [email protected] Jobs are posted on the chapter Web site (http://www.stcrmc.org/jobs_freelance.jobs.htm),










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and are e-mailed to the techcomm-discuss mailing list.

Chapter Web site http://www.stcrmc.org

STC International Office

901 N. Stuart Street, Suite 904 Arlington, VA 22203-1822 703.522.4114 [email protected] http://www.stc.org

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What Is This Thing Called Usability?

by Stephen Wertzbaugher

During the frenzied days before the start of the school year I found myself frantically searching for a hotel and restaurant management college text my daughter needed for her class. Exhausted by my fruitless searching, I happened on an “official” Web site for the hotel and restaurant management industry that claimed to sell the text. Elated, I clicked links like a man possessed to find out if the text was the correct edition and how much it cost. But after ten minutes of increasing frustration, I could not find any relevant information. Disgusted, I fired an angry email to the organization asking for “useful” information about the text and casting aspersions upon the parentage of the Web site designers and telling them that their site was useless even for brain-dead chimpanzees. And I ignored their clueless calls and emails and eventually found the text on eBay.

That sad experience got me thinking: if usability is such a hot-button issue, why do so few organizations pay heed to usability when creating user documentation and company Web sites? If you don’t believe me, read setup instructions that come with a common household electronic appliance or search the Web for something, anything, and then try to find the information you want on the returned sites. Give up? I thought so. The problem is a complex one that will require patience and perseverance to overcome. Strides are slowly being made. But in the meantime, our users continue to be bombarded with documentation and Web sites that even Stephen Hawking couldn’t use—and he’s a pretty bright guy!

What’s the solution? Awareness, followed by implementation.

The dictionary defines the term usable as “available or convenient to use” and “capable of being used.” Simple, right? Yes, but try to write usable documentation or design a usable Web site, and that simplicity seems to vanish. Why? Because what is usable for you or me may not be usable for someone else who does not share our knowledge and expectations. So is there no hope? Are we to be forever mired in unusable documentation and Web sites? I hope not! As I said, the first part of the solution is awareness. As with anything that needs to be fixed, the first step is acknowledging that the problem exists.

That’s where Technicalities comes in: we’ve dedicated this issue to usability and the user experience. Heady stuff—and although we won’t be able to tackle implementation in the few pages we have, we can at least wave the banner for awareness. Along with some excellent articles on usability and user experience, this issue tells you about World Usability Day, scheduled for November 14, 2006, and STC’s involvement in this landmark usability event. And if after reading the newsletter you want to know more about usability and user experience, visit the Web site of the Usability Professionals’ Association at www.usabilityprofessionals.org. Together maybe we can tackle This Thing Called Usability.

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President's Corner

by Deb Lockwood

One of the most common questions I get from people is, “What do you do for a living?” When asked that question, I find myself in a quandary. My self-talk starts out with: “How technical is this audience? Does he or she know software? How shall I frame the response: literally or allegorically? Would a ‘for instance’ story work best?”

By the time I’m done with my self-talk conversation and I open my mouth to respond, the person who asked has usually moved on to a conversation with someone else and is probably thinking, “Well, whatever she does, it’s too bad that she can’t put two words together and actually speak.”

In my attempts to explain what a technical communicator does, I’ve used the following descriptions with various degrees of success:

“I translate complex information into a form my audience can understand.” “I write training materials.” “I write instructions.” “I write the software manuals that you use to prop open your door.” “I’m a writer.”

Telling someone I’m a writer, however, usually begs the question, “Ooo—do you write novels?” When I attempt to elaborate, I normally get a “Hmm…” in response, followed by a quizzical expression—at which time I launch into one of my other descriptions. It’s a pretty deflating experience, and I’ve found it to be quite the conversation killer. The good news for me is that I have recently discovered a different tactic.

In September, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced their 2006 MacArthur Fellows. The MacArthur Foundation awards, commonly referred to as “genius awards,” consist of a $500,000 grant. All recipients “are selected for their creativity, originality, and potential to be significant contributors in their fields. Fellowships are awarded to women and men of all ages and at all career stages, illustrating concretely that extraordinary creativity knows no boundaries and is not constrained by time, place and endeavor.” One of this year’s award recipients is David Macaulay, a technical communicator.

Macaulay is an architect, author, and illustrator of many books including the following award-winners: The New Way Things Work, Mosque, and Cathedral. His work is used by adults and children alike as they attempt to understand complex systems. PBS has produced video interpretations of several of his projects.

On September 19, 2006, Steve Hartman of CBS News interviewed Macaulay and in that interview, Macaulay said, “I think of myself as an explainer, as a visual explainer of things that interest me.”




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“Whoa,” said she, “is this the answer to my dilemma? Is a technical communicator an explainer?” Dictionary.com defines the word “explain” in the following way:

1. to make plain or clear; render understandable or intelligible: to explain an obscure point.

2. to make known in detail: to explain how to do something.3. to assign a meaning to; interpret: How can you explain such a silly remark?4. to make clear the cause or reason of; account for: I cannot explain his strange

behavior.

I really think that Mr. Macaulay is on to something here. Let’s see:

1. Macaulay explains the intricacies of a range of things, from zippers to nuclear reactors, by deconstructing their essentials and relaying those essentials in a format the audience will understand. I explain the intricacies of software applications by deconstructing their essentials and relaying those essentials in a format the audience will understand. Check.

2. Macaulay includes scenarios in his work, which gives the reader the context in which the item is used. I include scenarios in my work for essentially the same reason: to give my readers the context in which he or she would use the software or the process. Check.

3. Macaulay uses ample illustrations (drawings) to demonstrate his examples. I use ample screen shots and workflow diagram graphics to demonstrate my examples. Check again.

I do believe I may have found my answer to the “What do you do for a living?” question. The next time I’m asked, I will reply with my new, cogent response. Like David Macaulay, we are all explainers!

For more information about the MacArthur Foundation and the award recipients, see http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.1074781/k.D7EC/In_Focus.htm.

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http://www.macfound.org/site/c.lkLXJ8MQKrH/b.1074781/k.D7EC/In_Focus.htm

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Tips from the Trenches: Anchor's Away

by Donna Brannan

Are you breathing fast and shallow? Is your blood pressure rising? No, it’s not a suspense film, its Word! Your’e having an anxiety attack because you have a deadline to meet and that (blankety blank) screen shot keeps moving from one location in your document to another. Or, you just sat down at your computer and are wondering, “What will it be today?” Because you KNOW something is going to happen, you just don’t know what it will be. Almost like a suspense film; except that with a suspense film, there is an ending. Issues with Word just never seem to stop.

One of the most frustrating things that a software manual writer may encounter is the screen shot that just will not stay where you put it. Take a deep breath and follow this instruction for “anchoring.”

“Anchoring” is a method that can be used in Word to keep those pictures and objects from moving around your document.

Within your document, click to select your object or picture. Then, under the Format drop-down menu on your toolbar, select Object or Picture, whichever may be the case. Next, click Layout, then Advanced, and then Picture Position.

Then decide:

If you want your object or picture to move up or down with your paragraph, select the Move object with text check box.

If you want to make sure that the object remains “anchored” to the same paragraph when you move the object, select the Lock anchor check box.

Sometimes it may be necessary to make changes to the paragraph or picture so you need to “unanchor.” Anchors are also objects and can be easily dragged to a new location. First, find the anchor and unlock it.

To find the anchor, click on the picture or object to select it. Next, on your toolbar, select the paragraph icon ¶.

You can then see the “locked anchor” symbol in the left margin next to the paragraph where your picture is anchored.

To unlock the anchor, return to the Picture Position tab of the Advanced Layout menu. Deselect the Lock Anchor option. Click OK twice to return to the document. You can now drag the picture or object to another location.

There are numerous reference and tip books available to assist you with the use of Word. The RMC’s Vice President, Ron Arner has provided a review of “Word Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Taming Your Text” by Andrew Savikas in this issue of Technicalities. Be sure to read his review!




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Anchor’s aweigh!

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Chapter News

Chapter Meetings

November 16, 2006 – Questions Technical Writers Need to Ask (Dr. Elizabeth "Bette" Frick)

January 18, 2007 – Take the Right Risks with Intelligent Disobedience (Bob McGannon)

February 15, 2007 – Yoga for Stress Relief Eases Bodies and Minds (Ron Arner)

March 15, 2007 – Senior Member Dinner (With a Special Guest)

April 19, 2007 – Communicating Clearly with Colleagues and Clients (Ginny Redish)

May 24, 2007 – How to Build a Business Case (Jack Molisani) and chapter business meeting

Other Activities

November 16, 2006 – 6:00 PM – CIC SIG meeting, "Referral Agreements and Subcontracting Among Colleagues"

Letter to the Editor

Referring to Deb Lockwood’s President’s Corner in the August/September 2006 newsletter, Alida Franco wrote, “...in the latest issue of Technicalities. This issue needs to come to the forefront of discussions. I am glad you spoke out.”

Election results

The following officers were elected and announced at the May RMC business meeting and will serve for the 2006-2007 chapter year:

● Deb Lockwood, president, voting member of council● Ron Arner, vice president, voting member of council● Al Kemp, secretary, voting member of council● Jessica Betterly, treasurer, voting member of council● Martha Sippel and Mary Jo Stark, nominating committee

Open Volunteer Positions

Ron Arner is currently serving as our chapter's Volunteer Coordinator, and as such, is soliciting people to serve in the following positions:

● Publicity Manager who generates interest in the community by submitting press releases, etc., in advance of chapter events.

● Volunteer Coordinator promotes volunteerism within the chapter and assists people in finding positions that match members' skills and meet their professional goals.




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● Project Manager and Website Manager, who manages the chapter website, ensuing timely and accurate content, participates in and manages the resources for the restructuring and rework of our chapter website.

If you have the interest in these areas and the skills to perform these tasks, please contact Ron at [email protected].

Membership News

Membership Drive

A grassroots campaign is underway to spread the word about the benefits of STC and, through this initiative, bring new members into the Society. Our annual membership drive is Thursday, November 16, at the Tivoli Student Union on the Metro State Campus. As a current member, you are being asked to do your part and recruit viable candidates in the technical communication field. As a potential member, you are being asked to attend to learn about all that the STC can do to support you in the technical communication field.

All attendees will receive one raffle ticket at the door for a chance to win some really cool prizes – like the full platform of WebWorks ePublisher (including ePublisher Express, a $3500 value!)

Plus, if you are already a member and bring a guest, you will receive an additional raffle ticket! AND, if your guest joins the STC, you will be eligible to attend any remaining chapter meeting through May, 2007 (excluding the Senior Members’ Dinner) for free – dinner included.

If you have any questions, or want to learn more about this meeting, or the STC in general, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us listed below.

Deb Lockwood, STC RMC President – [email protected]

Ron Arner, STC RMC Vice-President – [email protected]

Tammy Van Boening, STC RMC Membership Manager (2006-2007) – [email protected]

Member moves to a new job

Molly Malsam has moved from the Technical Publications group at Captaris, Inc. as a Technical Writer to the Usability group where she is now a Usability Engineer.

Networking Opportunities

Get connected ... If you're an STC RMC member, consider joining techcomm-discuss, the chapter's email list. Not only will you be a part of the chapter's online community, you'll also automatically receive notification of all job postings sent to the chapter's jobline. For information about the list, including how to join, view the list FAQ page and the posting rules.

Employment News, Trends, and Opportunities

STC RMC is transitioning the RMC job announcements to their own list. If you subscribe to techcomm-discuss, you will be receiving job announcements for a few more weeks, but to continue to receive job alerts, you will need to sign up for the separate list by emailing [email protected].

You can also view job announcements on the STC RMC Web site at http://www.stcrmc.org/jobs_freelance/jobline.htm.





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Education News, Trends, and Opportunities

Front Range Community College offers courses in Technical Writing (Technical Writing I and II) as part of their English program. For more information, go to the college's Web site, http://www.frcc.cc.co.us/.

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STC News

News and Notes from the STC President

Share Your Skills:

● The Technology Committee is looking for volunteers to investigate available off-the-shelf solutions that can quickly be implemented by communities to fulfill their technology needs (for example, on-line elections, web surveys). Details are posted at http://www.stc.org/membership/cfv02.asp. To volunteer, email Doug Woestendiek, Committee Chair, and Merrick Bechini, Director of Information Systems.

● STC is participating in World Usability Day 2006 to help make the world a better place for product users, and you are invited to participate. The STC initiatives include holding the World's Largest Online Card Sort and working on a Usability Competition. See www.stc.org/wud for more information.

STC Telephone Seminars

Telephone seminars are $99.00 USD for members and $149.00 USD for non-members. Overseas participants should contact the STC office. An additional $10.00 fee applies for registrations received less than five days before the seminar. For more information, go to http://www.stc.org/seminars.asp.

● November 8, 2006 - Choosing the Right Usability Technique (to answer the right question) Presenter(s): Whitney Quesenbery Level: Intermediate

● November 22, 2006 - Selling Technical Communication Services-Both Inside and Outside Your Organization Presenter(s): Robert Dianetti Level: Intermediate/Advanced

● December 6, 2006 - Maggie Haenel will present an STC Web-telephone seminar, Creating Training that Sticks, from 1–2:30 PM Eastern Time. The seminar will focus on how adults learn and what makes them remember information. For more information or to register, please visit: http://stc.webex.com.

New STC Web Site in Development

Dear STC Members,

STC is developing a new Web site! We want a new site that maximizes usability, follows best practices in Web design, and incorporates new functions of use to STC members. The development of the new Web site is a top-priority project within STC, with work sponsored by STC President Paula Berger and Executive Director Susan Burton.

STC wants to draw on the experience of its members across the globe. The Web team is looking for volunteers in the following areas:

● User research (focus groups and interview techniques)● Usability evaluators (heuristic and usability testing)




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http://www.stc.org/membership/cfv02.asp

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● Information design and architecture● Requirements management

Volunteers will be asked to help with one of the following:

● Conducting best practice evaluations of similar Web sites● Conducting stakeholder interviews and gathering requirements● Conducting content analysis of the existing Web site● Conducting several design iterations for the information architecture and design of

the new Web site● Preparing specifications for the implementation vendor● Designing and conducting user acceptance

We’re hoping you’ll be able to lend a hand with this effort. We’re distributing the work as much as possible—each of the roles above will be filled by two or three volunteers. Volunteers can expect to put in sixteen hours of effort per month for approximately twelve months.

To sign up as a volunteer for the STC Web site redesign, please send an e-mail with your skills, experience, and a brief explanation of why you want to be a part of the Web redesign team to both [email protected] and [email protected].

We hope you’ll be part of this team effort! The results will benefit each of us as STC members.

Regards,

Bogo Vatovec Manager, STC Web Site Committee

and

Merrick Bechini STC Director of Information Systems

LISA Partnership Announcement

I am pleased to announce our partnership with the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA). This partnership will allow LISA and STC members to benefit equally from each organization's services. LISA is "the leading international forum for organizations doing business globally." LISA offers valuable guidance in conducting business internationally, including consulting services for globalization, research and publications, standards development, networking, and educational opportunities. To learn more, visit www.lisa.org.

STC members pay the same rates that LISA members pay to attend LISA events such as LISA Forum Europe: Doing Business in an Expanding Europe, in Warsaw, Poland November 13-17, 2006. For more about LISA Forum Europe, visit www.lisa.org/events/2006warsaw. Information about upcoming LISA events will be featured on the STC Web site and included in the RSS feed highlighting STC news and related events.

We are continuing to develop our relationship with LISA, and finding new ways for STC members to benefit from LISA events and services. For example, plans are being developed for a separate STC forum on the LISA Web site. Soon, STC members will be able to enter their STC membership ID numbers when they register on LISA's site. There will be similar LISA links on the STC Web site.

As our careers continue to become increasingly global, we hope that you take advantage of the complementary benefits provided by our partnership with LISA to enhance your professional skills and your international business acumen. For any questions, please contact me at [email protected] or (703) 522-4114, ext. 206.

Sincerely,



http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/www.lisa.org

http://www.stcrmc.org/technicalities/www.lisa.org/events/2006warsaw


Mary Kabza STC Director of Marketing and Membership

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A “Way Last Resort”?

by Molly Malsam

I recently made a career transition from technical writing to usability engineering. In my new position, I have been conducting site visits with customers in the area. During a recent visit, I found an opportunity to query a user, “Mike,” about using online Help.

Mike mentioned that he wished the software did something, which I knew that it, in fact, did, and was explained in online Help. So I decided to walk him through a little exercise.

I said, “What would you do if I told you that the software has that feature? How would you find it?”

Mike wielded his cursor in various ways across the interface in an attempt to make the software perform the feature. Then, he right-clicked different areas of the interface, looking for the appropriate command. Finally, he searched the menu bar for the elusive treasure with no success.

I asked him to explain what he would do next. Mike said that he couldn’t think of anything else to do.

The recently deceased technical writer in me gulped hard.

I prodded a bit asking, “Do you see anything else on the screen that may HELP you?”

“Nope,” was his swift reply.

Again, the technical writer silently screamed, “What about Help? What about the piece of software that I labored over, that I organized, and chunked and indexed? It’s just waiting to help you!”

Well, I already knew that he wouldn’t turn to Help, so my next step was to guide him to it and see if he could find my astonishingly well-written and researched instructions on the matter.

I innocently asked, ‘Would you ever use the online Help?”

And Mike said, “Oh, I only use help as a way last resort. By then I’ve usually figured it out on my own.”

I avoided pointing out the obvious fact that he had not figured it out on his own, and yet did not turn to Help. Instead, I told him to open the Help file and try to find a topic about the feature, confident that he would finally be successful.

What happened next took me by surprise. He immediately jumped from the exemplar of




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TOC and Index listings and went straight for the Find tab. He typed in two words, scrolled through the list of matching topics, and did not find anything of interest. One of the search words was, indeed, not in the topic he needed to find.

When I asked Mike what he would do next, he said, “Well, I’m confident that the Help does not have the information I am looking for, or I would have found it with my search, so I would conclude that the software does not have this feature.”

In sum, the final score was: User 0, Technical Writer 0.

Where had I gone wrong? How could I have possibly anticipated the combination of search words that Mike used? And even if I had, how could it have helped Mike, who, apparently, would not have even opened Help in the first place?

I left thinking that the maxim was true, “Nobody reads the documentation, anyway.” I’ve reflected on the experience since then, and I have no definitive answers. However, I do have a few thoughts.

● Mike was only one user at one company, and although he confirmed my deepest fears, there is no reason to assume that he is representative of most users. I’m sure people have researched how often people turn to Help on a wider scale, although I don’t recall seeing that type of data anywhere recently.

● Many users just will not read anything about a piece of software, and will rely on discovering features during use. This is probably increasingly common as a Web-raised generation of computer users becomes accustomed to tooling around an interface looking for information, or using full-text search to find whatever they need. This may point to a need to build online Help into interfaces in more obvious ways (without being overly annoying--Mr. Clippee Office Assistant, anyone?!?).

● Technical writing groups need to continue to attempt to expand their influence during the development process. Most of us have vast reservoirs of untapped talents in interface design and the creation of usable software. At the very least, we know when a feature is so confusing, we struggle to explain it procedurally, which is a sign that something needs to be changed.

● Technical writing groups should push hard to conduct usability testing on their documentation. They may be surprised at what they find, and may be able to come up with innovative strategies to address any issues discovered. I have worked at numerous companies over the years; yet I’ve never worked with a technical writing group that ever had any contact with users. What is the point of writing excellent documentation if we have no idea what our users do with it, if anything?

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Email me at [email protected], and if I get enough feedback, I will publish a summary of responses in a future newsletter. I know that hundreds of other more experienced and insightful authors have approached these topics, but for me this was my first experience watching a user try to work with documentation, and I found it both illuminating and alarming.

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World Usability Day: November 14, 2006

World Usability Day is for everyone who’s ever asked, “Why doesn’t this work right?” or “What am I supposed to do with this now?” The day is a collection of local activities that help raise awareness of usability engineering and user-centered design on a worldwide scale.

“World Usability Day raises interest in usability and helps people realize there are professionals out there who can tell you why products don’t work well—and most likely, how to fix it,” says Rahel Bailie, who, along with Jerome Ryckborst, is a co-chair of STC’s World Usability Day committee. Awareness is generated by media coverage and the sheer volume of local events that volunteers and local coordinators organize around the world.

This year, STC is contributing in two ways.

First, STC is collaborating with other organizations, such as the Usability Professionals’ Association, to determine how to create a meaningful usability competition that usability professionals can use to showcase their work and demonstrate to the world what good processes look like. To be a part of the team that helps shape competition criteria, you can register at www.stc.org/wud.

STC is also sponsoring an online card-sorting event—unusual because of its international scope—with the intent of raising the profile of STC members who work in the usability field. “There’s a growing group of STC members who have usability engineering skills and who make their living with user-centered design,” Ryckborst says, adding, “STC can help raise their profile within the usability community by participating in World Usability Day.”

Card sorting is a common analysis technique used to group objects in order to understand how users categorize information. Card sorting is best known for its use by information architects and usability professionals to find latent structure among menu items, Web pages, and the like. However, card sorting has been used, with equal effectiveness, to help find latent structure for book content to create a table of contents. “I recommend this technique to all my clients,” says Bailie, president of Intentional Design, Inc., “as it not only gets results faster, but also takes away some of the mystery and creates some transparency about the technical communication process.” Those who have never participated in a card sorting exercise can try a demo at www.websort.net.

STC’s project is meant to be a collaborative undertaking that will bring together the strengths of the various professions involved in structuring information toward better usability. By bringing together usability engineers, information architects, technical communicators, and taxonomists to collaborate on the project, STC’s World Usability Day committee hopes to create a card sort that will yield results of interest to our collective memberships worldwide. The committee expects the project will have universal relevance and allow examination of variances such as cultural and regional response differences.

STC is inviting chapters in every possible time zone and geographic area to sign up to participate, to create an experience that will be not only informative and educational, but also fun. You can contribute to World Usability Day by adding an event of your own, or by participating in this international research project. Sign up to be part of the organizing committee or register your group to participate at www.stc.org/wud.

World Usability Day is spearheaded by the Usability Professionals’ Association and




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http://www.stc.org/wud

http://www.websort.net/

http://www.stc.org/wud

sponsored by Intuit, SAP, TechSmith, and Apogee.

Source: Intercomm, September/October 2006. Used with permission of the Society for Technical Communication.

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by Mike Madaio

Mike Madaio is currently the Chief IA for QVC.com and the Secretary of PHICHI, the Philadelphia Chapter of the ACM SIGCHI. He also keeps a user experience-related blog at http://mikemadaio.com.

Ethnio and MindCanvas

On a hot Friday evening in August, Philadelphia’s CHI chapter turned up to learn about two new remote research tools available to UX professionals: Ethnio and MindCanvas. Nate Bolt, president and CEO of Bolt|Peters (Ethnio), and Rashmi Sinha, founding principal of Uzanto (MindCanvas), were both on hand after presenting at AdaptivePath’s UX Week in D.C. a few days before.

One might think it strange that Bolt and Sinha chose to present together – after all these companies do play in the same space. Interestingly, however, both presenters feel that these products are not competitors, but wonderful compliments to one another, mainly because Ethnio is a facilitated testing solution while MindCanvas provides automated testing.

Ethnio

The goal of Ethnio is to offer moderated usability testing in a native environment via a telephone/web interface. Instead of recruiting weeks ahead of time and hosting users in an unfamiliar usability lab, Ethnio recruits in real-time and allows users to participate on their own computer. The main advantage to this method is that it catches people in the act of completing a task, and as such ensures a realistic, focused test experience.

To engage possible testers, Ethnio displays invitations via DHTML; interested parties are asked to fill out a short qualifying survey. At the same time, a facilitator (or group of facilitators) can be monitoring the test queue to act quickly once a response is submitted. The test itself is conducted through both a phone and web connection. Ethnio’s server calls both parties and records the ensuing conversation; the user must also install a small program (either Active X, Firefox plug-in or EXE), which Bolt described as "by far the quickest desktop setup of all the remote products." After the test is complete, a flash video of the user's desktop is synched up with the telephone audio to produce a complete presentation of the test.




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Ethino displays invitations to test with DHTML

Ethnio desktop

Enhancements to Ethnio are in the works; meeting attendees were happy to hear that event tagging and collaborative note-taking features should be implemented shortly, and that video editing is also on the way.

The speed with which users can be recruited for Ethnio allows for more testing to be done in a day that with normal recruiting methods, which can save both time and money. Some projects, however, require an even larger testing group, which is when Uzanto’s MindCanvas becomes a viable option.

MindCanvas

MindCanvas is an unmoderated research tool that takes online surveys to a higher level. Research methods such as card sorting, click maps, free listing, build-your-own interfaces and more are transformed into fun exercises that engage and entertain the user while gathering vital data.

Rashmi first showed off a brilliant flash-based card sorting game that supports complex features such as duplicate cards, groups within groups, and make-your-own card. By pulling the basics of traditional card sorting into this easily distributed format, MindCanvas can allow researchers to gather valid card-sorting data from a much larger audience. The flexible, detailed reporting tool ensures that this data can be used quickly and effectively.

MindCanvas Card Sort

Some other MindCanvas tools include:

● Click Map: The user is shown a website and asked to find a particular element. This program will track each click and then provide a map with the entire results set.

MindCanvas Click Map

● Sticky Notes: Ask users to associate terms with images. For example, a design is shown alongside sticky notes with text descriptions (i.e. “innovative”). The user is asked to label page elements with the sticky notes.

MindCanvas Stickly Notes

● Build-Your-Own Interface: Allow users to construct an interface via drag-and-drop tool, based on page elements they are given.

● Free Listing Study: Find out what is on users’ minds in regards to a specific topic. For example, a user might be asked: “What is important to you when looking for a cell phone?” and given a certain amount of time to list out everything that comes to mind.

More Information

All in all this was a very entertaining and informative presentation. Nate and Rashmi are open to feedback and questions and welcome anyone interested in either product to contact them to discuss your project or company.

Nate Bolt President & CEO, Bolt | Peters [email protected] http://www.ethnio.com/

Rashmi Sinha Founding Principal, Uzanto [email protected] http://www.themindcanvas.com/

PHICHI Philadelphia Region's Chapter of the ACM SIGCHI http://www.cis.drexel.edu/PhiCHI/

Reprinted with permission from The UPA Voice, http://upassoc.org/upa_publications/upa_voice/volumes/2006/october/remote_usability.html.

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http://www.themindcanvas.com/

http://www.cis.drexel.edu/PhiCHI/

http://upassoc.org/upa_publications/upa_voice/volumes/2006/october/remote_usability.html

http://upassoc.org/upa_publications/upa_voice/volumes/2006/october/remote_usability.html



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Networking with your Colleagues: October Chapter Meeting Reviews

This month, STC RMC held networking meetings in two Denver-area locations—Peet's Coffee & Tea in Westminster and Darcy's Pub and Bistro in the Denver Tech Center.

North Networking Meeting Well Received

by Ron Arner and Deb Lockwood

On Thursday night, 10/19, a group of technical communicators from STC RMC met at Peet’s Coffee & Tea near 92nd and Sheridan. This meeting, in conjunction with a similar networking meeting held at Darcy’s Pub and Bistro in the Denver Tech Center, constituted the chapter’s October meeting.

Lively conversation at October's networking meeting at Peet's Coffee and Tea

Those of us at Peet’s found it a great atmosphere for an informal business meeting. The coffee, tea, and cookies abounded while we discussed several topics including where we thought our industry and we were heading in the near future. Most participants thought that they would continue to work through the traditional retirement age of 65, but possibly change their focus to more creative types of writing, like white papers and magazine articles.

Other topics discussed were how to adapt our methods and deliverables due to continued changes in technology, and what we will need to do to effectively reach our audiences in




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the next few years.

Chatting at Peet's

A particularly intriguing topic arose as we discussed the future: group knowledge that may eventually replace the oracles or experts of previous years. That means that we would depend on the Wikipedias of the world as the collections of our common knowledge rather than depending on the expertise of one person. As was mentioned, we had a very interesting discussion!

The meeting format seemed to be well received by all attendees, and several people said they would like to continue to meet informally in the future.

Informal Setting Sets Stage for South Networking Meeting

by Frank Tagader

The inaugural free-of-charge STC RMC networking meeting provided a casual forum for those who attended the gathering at Darcy’s Pub and Bistro to share ideas, ask questions, and just relax and enjoy the time. While the attendance was limited to 11 people, the bar setting set the mood for small groups to form (generally three to four people) sharing ideas on subjects including what it takes to go independent, usability, job searching, pay levels, chapter meetings, and the future of the profession.

The get together took the place of a formal STC RMC meeting the evening of Thursday, Oct. 19. Many of those in attendance at the popular Denver Technological Center watering hole felt it was a nice change of pace and would welcome other meetings of this type in the future. While this session was geared towards attracting members from the southern suburbs and the southern portion of Denver, another gathering took place simultaneously in the northern part of the Metro area to serve those who wanted to get together in more of a neighborhood atmosphere to spur conversation and sharing.

Because of the noise level in the bar, the entire group was unable to interact with one another. A list of possible conversation topics was passed around, but was rarely referred to. Still, it provided a chance for people to converse. There was a mixture of individuals who regularly attend, one non-member, and a few members who either have not attended previously or have not attended in a few years.


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Word Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Taming Your Text

by Ron Arner

Word Hacks: Tips & Tools for Taming Your Text Andrew Savikas. 2005. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 0-596-00493-1. 373 pages. $24.95 (paperback). http://www.oreilly.com

Have you ever described Microsoft Word as “infinitely customizable” or “almost infinitely programmable”? These are probably not phrases heard from many technical communicators about this much-maligned and ubiquitous word processor. But such are the claims of Andrew Savikas, author of Word Hacks, an O’Reilly book that encourages Word users to “peak behind the curtain” and discover all Word has to offer.

I’ve always been impressed by O’Reilly books, so I was eager to delve into this manual, hoping that it would demystify some of the more unusable features of the program. While I didn’t come away feeling that I’d mastered the intricacies of Word, I was definitely encouraged by the possibilities this book suggested, particularly for users willing to learn a little Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).

Savikas describes 100 hacks (a hack in this book is a clever solution to a problem, not a form of computer crime). Here’s a list of some I found helpful, surprising, and even downright brilliant, along with chapter titles:

Chapter 1: Word Under the Hood Tweak the Interface, Macros 101 Chapter 2: The Word Workspace Hack Your Shortcut Menus, Hack the Office Assistant, Sample Your System Fonts Chapter 3: Formatting, Printing, and Table Hacks Sample Your System Fonts, Put Footnotes in Tables, Make PDFs Without Acrobat Chapter 4: Editing Power Tools Crunch Numbers Quickly in Word, Find and Replace Without Find and Replace Chapter 5: Templates and Outlines Use an Outline to Build an Org Chart Chapter 6: Housekeeping




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http://www.oreilly.com/

Rename Built-in Styles Chapter 7: Macro Hacks Do Something to Every File in a Directory Chapter 8: Forms and Fields Use Custom Shortcut Menus to Make Frequent Selections Chapter 9: Advanced Word Hacks Show a Directory Structure as a Word Outline Chapter 10: Word 2003 XML Hacks Google Without Leaving Word

Yes, everything listed above and more really is possible with Word. I was surprised to find that Word can crunch numbers, and ecstatic to find a way to sample all my system fonts at once. For those of you who are not Word fans, this book will probably not change your mind, because you do have to spend the time and energy to customize it to your liking. However, for those of you who work with Word all the time, find it challenging, and want to make it more usable, this book would make a good addition to your tech comm library.

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Technical Communicator Certification – Boon or Bane?

by Bill Thomas, Senior Member, Rocky Mountain Chapter

Since I first joined STC in 1974, there have been discussions of whether Technical Communicators form a profession and whether certification would be a good idea. There have been roundtables, articles, recommendations, and hallway discussions in companies, chapter meetings, and presentations at STC conferences.

With the STC re-vitalization and transformation initiative, there has been renewed interest in certification and a new task force has been formed to look into answers. From STC President Paula Berger’s July Board Meeting Minutes, “I have asked Jonathan Baker and Dan Wise to lead a Certification Evaluation Task Force. The purpose is to investigate the issue of certification from all sides – value to employers and members, financial impact, feasibility of implementation, interest level – and report to the Society in May 2007 about their findings.” Jon Baker is a Program Manager within Technical Publications Operations within EMC Corporation and Dan Wise is an editor with the International Code Council.

Meeting weekly for the last month, Jon and Dan and a cadre of 18 STC members all across the country and in Canada have been meeting via conference call to determine the starting point and progress of this task. Once the questions have been hammered out and organized, the task force members will take these questions and attempt to get them answered in preparation for making a formal report to the STC board.

Questions typically asked have been along these lines: Is there a body of knowledge defining this profession? What would be the core competencies required? Would certification help or hurt the cause of the technical communicator in the field? How would employers react to certification? Would academia respond positively to a professional body of knowledge and teach standard courses to develop certified students? Would STC provide post-graduate, continuing education courses? Should certification be based on knowledge, experience or both? Would there be levels of certification (basic, advanced, master)? Will there be financial concerns on the part of STC, academia, employers, or practitioners that need to be addressed? Are there international or cultural considerations needing to be addressed? How would certification be marketed to sell the value of such a program and the profession to practitioners, employers, and academia? Would professional certification enhance the group or cause some to leave?

If you have comments or recommendations that this task force might consider, please send your information to [email protected]. If you would like to participate in the research the task force will be doing, contact Jon Baker, [email protected], or [email protected]. We look forward to representing you and the profession to the Board in May 2007.

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