Users want manuals that are easy to read, with short sentences, simple words, and unambiguous instructions. Unfortunately, writing plain language is much more difficult than writing overblown instructions that only an expert can understand. Writing complex texts is simple-writing simple texts is complex.
This book shows you how to write simple user assistance rather than complex user annoyance. As it's a book about stating your message clearly, it also states its own messages clearly. It's free of boring theory and free of highbrow grammar terms, but gives you clear recommendations and catchy examples that you can easily remember and apply to your own work.
Topics covered:
General technical writing principles that make your texts plain, simple, and easy to understand.
On the topic level: Rules for writing "Concept topics," "Task topics," and "Reference topics."
On the paragraph level: Rules for writing the standard elements that form a topic, such as headings, subheadings, procedures, lists, tables, warnings, notes, tips, examples, cross-references, and links.
On the sentence level: Rules for building plain and unambiguous sentences.
On the word level: Recommendations for using simple words.
Words are not always the best medium for communicating technical information. Sometimes, a picture, a simple animation, or a short video can intuitively show within a few seconds what words can hardly describe.
However, there are also cases in which pictures are too complicated and videos are too slow in conveying information. For effective technical communication, images and videos need to be used exactly where they are most efficient, and they need to be designed to clearly convey their particular message.
This book shows you the principles of creating effective visuals.
Topics covered:
Choosing the right medium and place: What works best in a particular case: Text? Images? Animations? Videos? Interactive components? How many images should you include, and where should you put them?
Common basics of visualization: General design principles that apply to both creating images and creating videos.
Images in general: Fundamental tips for creating effective images, no matter what these images show.
Images of hardware: Particular tips for creating drawings and photos that show physical devices.
Images of software: Particular tips for creating screenshots and other images of software.
Video design: Tips for creating effective instructional videos, as well as solutions for embedding these videos into technical documentation.
Video production: Tips on how to organize the creation of instructional videos and on the underlying technologies.
Interactive content: Ideas for implementing interactive components, such as interactive 2D and 3D images, hypervideos, and augmented reality applications.
Like all the books of the Technical Documentation Best Practices Series, the book focuses on practical tips and examples that are easy to implement in real projects. In case you don't create your visuals yourself but instead assign this task to a graphic designer or to an agency, the book makes you a competent client and gives you the expertise to review the results critically.
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