My background is in technical communication (aka technical writing). I wrote many online help documentation systems, tutorials, websites, and all kinds of other materials. A basic tenet of techcomm is that you define your audience. You cannot write before knowing this vital information. For instance, general users of an application aren’t likely interested in technical […]
Designing Content for Responsive Websites
When designing a responsive website, you can’t just think of the way it looks. You also have to design the content. When the page display shifts when viewed on different device sizes, so too does the content layout. That’s what you also have to design for and test: how does the content display on each […]
Cut, Cut, Cut your Content and Procedures
Sure. We’ve been reducing word count in procedures for some time. It’s time to do more, however. As noted in an earlier post, we have to think mobile. Think small screens and small devices. Screen real estate on phones is at a premium. With that in mind, I’m offering some suggestions on how to cut back. […]
Might We Become Walking Computers?
What do an article in Wired magazine about attaching a sensor to your running shoe and uploading it via iPod for data analysis, a camping trip, an article about wearing video screens, a scientist husband, a discussion about wildlife parks, office work, and work by a W3C working group have in common? If you can […]
Think Mobile When You Write
Note: this is an historical post, which I originally wrote in 2009. I’ve pulled it from my archives and am reposting it today without changes. Some of the info is still applicable today. – Julie 3/30/2020 Always keep the small screen in mind when you’re preparing your docs. There are some W3C “mobileOK” guidelines to […]
