Designing communication: considering the dynamics of the discipline
SIGDOC '06 Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication
Designing help topics for use with text-to-speech
SIGDOC '06 Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication
Extending traditional user assistance systems to support an auditory interface
AIAP'07 Proceedings of the 25th conference on Proceedings of the 25th IASTED International Multi-Conference: artificial intelligence and applications
Improvements to a speech-enabled user assistance system based on pilot study results
SIGDOC '07 Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication
Proceedings of the 26th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication
Proceedings of the 27th ACM international conference on Design of communication
User modeling to support the development of an auditory help system
TSD'07 Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Text, speech and dialogue
A unified format for language documents
SLE'10 Proceedings of the Third international conference on Software language engineering
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
The use of eBooks and interactive multimedia in technical documentation is an emerging and important trend for delivering abstract and complex technical information that is enticing, engaging, and -most important of all- effective. With the substantial (and growing) number of documents available electronically, it is a non-trivial task for technical writers to even reach their target audience, let alone engage them. Both eBooks and interactive multimedia feature unique characteristics that serve two important functions: piquing the interest in the user, and aiding in the transmittal of complex technical information. Further, the use of eBooks and interactive multimedia in technical documentation helps to differentiate from the myriad other technical documents. At the IBM Toronto Software Laboratory, the Media Design Studio (MDS) works collaboratively with the information development community to produce graphics and diagrams for technical documentation. This paper explores alternative forms of IBM technical documentation in the form of two case studies-one an eBook and the other a Macromedia Flash-based interactive multimedia presentation. Both projects were co-developed by the writers and graphic designers, with a mandate to create a rich, graphical approach to entice and engage users to read and understand complex technical concepts.