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Suggest You - The Death of the Technical Author?
1. Affiliate programs. In an affiliate program, you mostly act as a middleman between your partner company and the buying public. You will be promoting the goods and services that your partner merchant company sells, and in return you will receive a percentage of the sales you generate. Alternatively, you can also advertise your partner merchant’s site, and will be paid according to the number of people who you can redirect.2. Paid Surveys. All companies who wish to stay competitive have to conduct market research. The internet allows these companies to conduct these surveys at a reduced cost. If you fit the demographic profile that is required for a particular survey, you may choose to participate and be compensated accordingly. While most paid surveys do not pay much, participating in a bunch of them is a good way to make some extra money.3. E-mail processing. You will be asked to
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated wi
TV has always been a popular stepping stone on the way to Hollywood stardom. The film industry will always look upon television as the minor leagues, so to speak, a place where talent is harvested, personas invented. As such, the fact that so many Oscar nominees this year got their start in TV is not a surprise. Most acting nominations seemed to come from either former American television actors or foreign actors. This makes the film industry even more like the major leagues. It just plucks t he best talent from around the world and makes it their own.Sitcom stars are even becoming stars. Former singers are becoming stars. It’s an incredible thing. Look at the story of Jennifer Hudson. Jennifer Hudson was a no-name, a contestant on the fourth season of American Idol. She was a great singer, but wasn’t beautiful and was overweight. Though some believe that she should’ve made it further in th
The problems
Let's first look at a number of issues that Technical Authors face :
1. Overlapping technologies means overlapping job roles
Technologies and software are developing in a way that means the boundaries between the programmer, the Technical Author, the Web Developer and the Trainer are becoming blurred. For example, the online Help that will ship with the next release of Windows (code name Longhorn) may look more like a Web site or a Web-based learning (CBT) system than the type of Help files we currently see. This means that some Technical Authors feel they are being "crowded out" and losing their jobs, as their work is taken on by others within the organisation.
2. The work can be done in other ways
From time to time new software or technology will come out that will lead some technology evangelists to claim you can away with the need for "man-made" user assistance. Common themes appear and reappear with each technology wave, with people claiming:
3. It's a specialist and lonely job
Many are in an environment where they are the only Technical Author in their organisation, and this can mean their career path is unclear.
4. Their contribution to the business can be uncertain.
Some people perceive what Technical Authors produce to be a necessary evil - something that needs to be provided, but not actually of any great value. So they look to keep costs, and consequently the quality, to a minimum.
So what do Technical Authors do that is of value to the organisation?
We believe Technical Authors, as well as specialist documentation companies, are valuable to the organisation in:
We call this skill "information design". It is sometimes called (in Germany, for example) "information development". We believe these skills in information design have a wider application to the business than just the development of user manuals, procedures documents and Help files. These skills - organising information and providing the means by which people get that information - can help organisations fight and win the "information overload" battle.
Our recommendations
Technical Authors' skills need to be applied more widely across the organisation. In other words, create an Information Design department.
We suggest the role of the Technical Author should be redefined as "Information Designer" and the Technical Publications department should be redefined as the "Information Design" department. Doing this should help to make it clearer to everyone where their specialist skills - making large amounts of unstructured information more useful - can be applied elsewhere in the organisation.
IT departments don't have information design skills. Quality Managers don't have these, nor do marketing executives or Webmasters. The Technical Author (or Information Designer) does have these skills, and can offer these skills to anyone in the organisation that has to deal with large amounts of unstructured information.
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated wit
The British food giant Tesco chooses its foreign markets based on the similarity of culture of the foreign market to that of its present markets. The company calls it psychic distance from the parent market. The factors comprising in the psychic distance are (Jody Evans, 2006) – Economic environment, legal and political environment, business practices, language and market structure. As per the Tesco management the psychic distance is one of key factor determining organizational performance. The company finds that it is relatively easier to position the products in the market where the psychic distance is less hence the learning curve for the company in these markets is relatively smaller compared to markets that have greater psychic distance.Strategy of Force in Expansion and Acquisition“One has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge th
2. The work can be done in other ways
From time to time new software or technology will come out that will lead some technology evangelists to claim you can away with the need for "man-made" user assistance. Common themes appear and reappear with each technology wave, with people claiming:
3. It's a specialist and lonely job
Many are in an environment where they are the only Technical Author in their organisation, and this can mean their career path is unclear.
4. Their contribution to the business can be uncertain.
Some people perceive what Technical Authors produce to be a necessary evil - something that needs to be provided, but not actually of any great value. So they look to keep costs, and consequently the quality, to a minimum.
So what do Technical Authors do that is of value to the organisation?
We believe Technical Authors, as well as specialist documentation companies, are valuable to the organisation in:
We call this skill "information design". It is sometimes called (in Germany, for example) "information development". We believe these skills in information design have a wider application to the business than just the development of user manuals, procedures documents and Help files. These skills - organising information and providing the means by which people get that information - can help organisations fight and win the "information overload" battle.
Our recommendations
Technical Authors' skills need to be applied more widely across the organisation. In other words, create an Information Design department.
We suggest the role of the Technical Author should be redefined as "Information Designer" and the Technical Publications department should be redefined as the "Information Design" department. Doing this should help to make it clearer to everyone where their specialist skills - making large amounts of unstructured information more useful - can be applied elsewhere in the organisation.
IT departments don't have information design skills. Quality Managers don't have these, nor do marketing executives or Webmasters. The Technical Author (or Information Designer) does have these skills, and can offer these skills to anyone in the organisation that has to deal with large amounts of unstructured information.
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated wi
It is said that “it’s not what you know, but who you know that counts”. I believe that “it is what you know that will give your head start, who you know that will get you going, who knows you (and your products or services) that will help you succeed, but what you do with your knowledge and relationships that will make you succeed.”So, stop thinking that you can do it all. You can’t. There are not enough hours in the day for you to do everything. Stop thinking that you are irreplaceable or that no one can do nearly as good a job as you. After all, we are all mortal. As an over-achieving, overly energetic, obsessive-compulsive, competitive, I gotta-do-it-all, supermom-sister-wife-daughter-cousin-friend-colleague…I learned the hard way that it’s time to stop the madness.Just like women do, I used to think that I have to do everything that has my name on it because it’s a reflection of
4. Their contribution to the business can be uncertain.
Some people perceive what Technical Authors produce to be a necessary evil - something that needs to be provided, but not actually of any great value. So they look to keep costs, and consequently the quality, to a minimum.
So what do Technical Authors do that is of value to the organisation?
We believe Technical Authors, as well as specialist documentation companies, are valuable to the organisation in:
We call this skill "information design". It is sometimes called (in Germany, for example) "information development". We believe these skills in information design have a wider application to the business than just the development of user manuals, procedures documents and Help files. These skills - organising information and providing the means by which people get that information - can help organisations fight and win the "information overload" battle.
Our recommendations
Technical Authors' skills need to be applied more widely across the organisation. In other words, create an Information Design department.
We suggest the role of the Technical Author should be redefined as "Information Designer" and the Technical Publications department should be redefined as the "Information Design" department. Doing this should help to make it clearer to everyone where their specialist skills - making large amounts of unstructured information more useful - can be applied elsewhere in the organisation.
IT departments don't have information design skills. Quality Managers don't have these, nor do marketing executives or Webmasters. The Technical Author (or Information Designer) does have these skills, and can offer these skills to anyone in the organisation that has to deal with large amounts of unstructured information.
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated wi
In an ever-expanding corporate environment, the need to have an individual identity is a must to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. There are several ways of making this statement such as brand advertising, promotion campaigns and a personalized logo. However, a very subtle yet effective method used to highlight a person or organization’s individuality is the use of personalized rubber stamps.A personalized rubber stamp allows the users to craft their own design, logo, slogan or signature for the stamp. The engravings in the rubber base are made exactly according to the need of the user, adding to the tailor-made approach. These rubber stamps also make the perfect gift for any occasion.Personalized rubber stamps come in various shapes and sizes and focus on the minutest of details. Wood handle stamps are one of the most unique personalized stamps. Unlike other commercial stamp
Our recommendations
Technical Authors' skills need to be applied more widely across the organisation. In other words, create an Information Design department.
We suggest the role of the Technical Author should be redefined as "Information Designer" and the Technical Publications department should be redefined as the "Information Design" department. Doing this should help to make it clearer to everyone where their specialist skills - making large amounts of unstructured information more useful - can be applied elsewhere in the organisation.
IT departments don't have information design skills. Quality Managers don't have these, nor do marketing executives or Webmasters. The Technical Author (or Information Designer) does have these skills, and can offer these skills to anyone in the organisation that has to deal with large amounts of unstructured information.
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated wi
What will the advertising executives think of next? Many small businesses will try new forms of advertising because the Yellow Pages doesn't work. In fact one of the most interesting new ways to advertise is to buy a space above urinals and it was proven that that works five times better than yellow page ads.And if you have the stomach for it we have been told that advertising on the back of toilet paper and bars and restaurants works great and one industry survey said it works 10 times better than yellow page ads. Yes, advertising on the back of toilet paper can be very profitable and when someone is stuck in that stall and they have nothing to do they will actually read the toilet paper of course what they do with it next we will not discuss. But suffice it to say anything that works 10 times better than yellow page ads makes sense to me and it makes dollars for my company.I wo
Cherryleaf (along with other similar organisations) applies its skills to others outside of the technical authoring and software development community. For example, we work with people who are interested in improving their intranet, quality management systems, sales proposals or training courseware. So there's good reason to believe these newly named "Information Designers" could contribute in a similar way within their own organisations.
1. Carry out usability testing to measure the value of what technical authors produce
Some form of measurement needs to take place if you want to place a value on something. Jakob Nielsen (www.useit.com) has described how meaningful usability studies can be carried out for a small amount of effort. So test to see what happens if users don't have any documentation, and how they react to different types of user assistance.
2. Get involved in the development of new software at an earlier stage
As online user assistance becomes more tightly integrated with the software, the Technical Author will need to be more tightly integrated with the development of the software, right from the beginning of the process.
3. Acquire the additional skills needed
The role today requires more than just writing. It requires skills in online information design and usability. In the future, it could require skills in writing JavaScript and developing e-learning content. However, some of the need to hack into code can probably be avoided if you use the most popular Help authoring tools. These developments in the role probably mean more training is required by Technical Authors.
4. Use the right tools for the job
The latest software from the main software vendors in this field provide more than just an authoring environment. Many tools now include content management, e-learning, scripting and support for output across a range of media. The vendors seem to have a good appreciation of the key issues surrounding the provision of user assistance and large documents.
Conclusion
The overlapping of technologies and the uncertainty of the contribution of the Technical Author does mean that the boundaries between this and other positions in the organisation are becoming blurred. Technical Authors have skills that organisations still need. Indeed, they can be applied to new areas. This means taking a new perspective on the role. So maybe we need to say "The Technical Author is dead. Long live the Information Designer."
(c) Cherryleaf 2006
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