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sharon twiss |
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| technical writing | is the process of explaining complex information so that it is most accessible to its intended audience | |
| what do technical communicators do? | research,
write, and edit software manuals & online documentation design, write, and edit training materials research, write, edit, and produce marketing & advertising material "technical communicators work in every industry where information needs to be exchanged from one group to another." |
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writing technical manuals - a chapter for new tech writers |
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| audience
- medium - format - style guides - software - |
new technical writers print manual heading levels reveal the hierachical organization MS Manual of Style for Technical Publications MS Word, MS Paint |
click here to view this chapter in acrobat reader |
| work practicum - Gemcom Software International Inc - PlotMaker online help 1.0 | ||
| audience
- medium - format - style guides - software - |
mining industry
professionals, Gemcom Software users, non-English-speaking users online winhelp product multiple pathways using hyperlinks Gemcom Software style, MS Manual of Style for Technical Publications, PlotMaker style MS Word, Doc-to-Help, MS Paint, Lotus ScreenCam |
click here to watch a 1-minute video about the software if you would like a CD of
PlotMaker online help,
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we used segmented hypergraphics in this and other introductory help topics so that users (especially our non-English users) could become familiar with the vocabulary used in the help. it's easier to use help when you know the names of things.
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our subject matter experts were familiar with Gemcom's DOS-based version of the software, QuickPlot. since some of our users would also be familiar with QuickPlot, we included this topic to assist them in the transition.
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this help topic lets the user quickly use the software to complete a task. each of the steps leads to a help topic that includes tips which introduce other features of the software. when we were writing the tips, we had to ask "where would someone want to go from here?" this is the simple version of getting the job done. if users successfully use the help, they'll return to it more often.
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there's nothing like shortcut keys to make you feel like an expert user. or is saving time the greater benefit?
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PlotMaker help includes the expected tabs in winhelp products. the contents tab with those familiar purple books. |
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the index tab when we were developing the index, at every topic we had to ask "what words might bring the user here?"
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the answerworks tab we had to develop a synonymn file that included words unique to this help, as well as indicate their parts of speech. for example, although we use "plot" as a noun, it can also be used as a verb.
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the find tab we didn't do this -- our help authoring software did. thank you.
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