Cool Tools for Technical Writers - Atlanta...
Transcript of Cool Tools for Technical Writers - Atlanta...
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Cool Tools for
Technical Writers
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Who Is Jeff Haas?
• Lead Technical Writer at ADP
• Associate Fellow at STC
• Past President of STC Atlanta
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Agenda
• Introduction
• 1st Generation Tools
• 2nd Generation Tools
• 3rd Generation Tools
• Q&A
No demos
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What Is a Cool Tool?
A cool tool is an authoring tool that
enables technical writers to create
superior user assistance that improves the user experience.
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What Is an Authoring Tool?
• Does not require programming
• Contains programming features
• Built on an authoring language
• Allows you to import content from
other formats
• Allows you to generate content in
multiple formats
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A Cool Tool from the 20th
Century
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Who Is a Technical Writer?
Better User
InterfacesBetter
Users
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Facing the Facts
• 8-14% of tech writing jobs were
eliminated in the past two years
• Salaries declined
Personal email from Kathryn Burton,
Chief Executive Officer of STC
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STC Membership
From a spreadsheet provided by Lloyd Tucker, Deputy Executive Director of STC
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Employment Options
• Become more like a User
Interface Designer by authoring
embedded procedural user
assistance
• Become more like an
Instructional Designer by
authoring external tutorial user
assistance
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The Status Quo Is Not an
Option
� User Interface Designer
� Instructional Designer
� Both
Status Quo
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What Is User Assistance?
• Provides guidance to someone
using a software application
• Includes all forms of help available
to a user
• Not limited to a traditional help
system
• Can include procedural and tutorial
information
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Tutorial versus Procedural
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Tutorial User Assistance
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Course Authoring Tools
• Adobe Captivate
• Articulate Presenter
• Techsmith Camtasia
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Procedural User Assistance
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What Tools Do You Need?
• 17 Application Pages
• Embedded Text Topics – 49
• Page-Level Help Topics – 12
• Field-Level Help Topics – 18
• System Messages – 155
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Start at the End
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Tech Writing Timeline
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1st Generation Platform:
Mainframe Computers
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2nd Generation Platform:
Personal Computers
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1981 ─ IBM PC
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1990 ─ Windows 3.0
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1990 ─ Windows Help
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1991 ─ RoboHelp
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Context-Sensitive Help
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2nd Generation Cool Tools
• Adobe RoboHelp or Madcap Flare• Adobe FrameMaker and/or MS Word• Graphics Tools
– Techsmith Snagit
– Microsoft Visio
– Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Acrobat
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Help Authoring Tools:
Overview
Either/or:
• Adobe RoboHelp
• Madcap Flare
Honorable Mention: Author-it
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Help Authoring Tools:
Adobe RoboHelp
For More Information
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Help Authoring Tools:
Adobe RoboHelp
• Content for help systems, policies and procedures, and professional knowledgebases
• Multichannel, multidevice publishing
• Collaborative reviews, reusable assets, and dynamic user-centric content
• User-generated content and moderated or stored commenting
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Help Authoring Tools:
Adobe RoboHelp
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Authoring Tools:
RoboHelp
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Help Authoring Tools:
RoboHelp
Jeff’s take:
• Industry standard
• Everyone has a horror story but
still uses it
• Helped my career
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Help Authoring Tools:
Madcap Flare
For More Information
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Help Authoring Tools:
Madcap Flare
• Content authoring tool
• Print and online documentation
• Complex digital print publishing
(PDF) or online Help systems
(WebHelp and WebHelp
Mobile)
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Help Authoring Tools:
Madcap Flare
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Help Authoring Tools:
Madcap Flare
Jeff’s take:
• Good alternative from former
RoboHelp developers
• Customizable, but requires
some post-processing
• Use as XML Editor?
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Help Authoring Tools:
Comparison
Based on information provided in MadCap Flare Certified Test Review
+ Developer's Guide by Scott Deloach (available at www.amazon.com)
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Word Processors:
Overview
Both/and:
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe FrameMaker
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Word Processors:
Microsoft Word
For More Information
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Word Processors:
Microsoft Word
• Standalone or bundled with
Office or Works
• First released in 1983 as Multi-
Tool Word for Xenix systems
• Started on IBM PCs running
DOS (1983) and Windows
(1989)
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Word Processors:
Microsoft Word
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Word Processors:
Microsoft Word
Jeff’s take:
• Default word processor
• Business letter producer that
got out of control
• Nightmarish for robust technical
doc (sections, TOC, Index,
master documents, callouts)
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Word Processors: Adobe
FrameMaker
For More Information
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Word Processors:
Adobe FrameMaker
• Authoring and publishing
solution for unstructured,
structured, and
XML/DITA/S1000D content
• Document processor for the
production and manipulation of
large structured documents
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Word Processors:
Adobe FrameMaker
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Word Processors:
Adobe FrameMaker
Jeff’s take:
• Still best option for robust doc
• Desktop publishing tool (PDF)
• Book metaphor
• Use as XML Editor?
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Graphics Tools:
Overview
• Screenshot Utilities
• Diagramming Software
• Image Editing Software
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Screenshot Utilities:
Overview
• Techsmith Snagit
• Inbit FullShot
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Screenshot Utilities:
Techsmith Snagit
For More Information
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Screenshot Utilities:
Techsmith Snagit
• Windows only
• Replaces the native Print Screen function with additional features
• Contains most features needed by
technical writers
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Screenshot Utilities:
Techsmith Snagit
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Screenshot Utilities:
Techsmith Snagit
Jeff’s take:
• Industry standard, good tool
• New features include capturing
embedded objects like links,
pictures, and multimedia
• Upload to Flickr, etc.
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Diagramming Software:
Overview
• Microsoft Visio
• CorelDRAW
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Diagramming Software:
Microsoft Visio
For More Information
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Diagramming Software:
Microsoft Visio
• Commercial diagramming
program for Windows
• Uses vector graphics to create
diagrams
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Diagramming Software:
Microsoft Visio
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Diagramming Software:
Microsoft Visio
Jeff’s take:
• A fun tool to use
• Great for creative brainstorming
• Used for processes, software
architecture, and organization
charts
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Image Editing Software:
Overview
• Adobe Photoshop
• Corel PaintShop Photo Pro
(Cheaper)
• GIMP (Free)
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Image Editing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
For More Information
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Image Editing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
• Graphics editing program
• 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Photoshop 8 renamed as
Photoshop CS
• 12th major release of Photoshop
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Image Editing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
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Image Editing Software:
Adobe Photoshop
Jeff’s take:
• New version is nothing short of
astonishing
• Content-aware feature
• Disappearing man and Sydney
opera house
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Conversion Utilities:
Overview
• Adobe Acrobat Pro Extended
• Webworks ePublisher
• Calibre
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Conversion Utilities:
Acrobat Pro Extended
For More Information
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Conversion Utilities:
Acrobat Pro Extended
• Family of application software
• View, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document
Format (PDF)
• Commercial software except
Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat Reader)
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Conversion Utilities:
Pro versus Reader
• SharePoint integration
• Office 2011-ready
• PDF Portfolios
• Panels interface
• Improved OCR
• Enterprise deployment
• Acrobat X suite
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Conversion Utilities:
Pro versus Reader
• Protected mode security
• Sticky notes and highlighter
• Improved browser integration
• Simplified panels interface
• Enterprise deployment
• Reader for Android
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Conversion Utilities:
Adobe Acrobat
Jeff’s take:
• How could we live without it?
• Adobe continues to make
significant upgrades
• Move from printing Postscript
files to saving PDFs using
PDFMaker?
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Abraham Maslow Quote
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
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3rd Generation Platform:
Mobile Cloud Computers
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Cloud Architectures
From Windows Azure Platform:
Cloud Development Jump Start"
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User Assistance Requirements
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Darwin Information Typing
Architecture (DITA)
From The State of Structured Authoring by Pringle
and O’Keefe (available at www.amazon.com)
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Authoring Tools for DITA
From The State of Structured Authoring by Pringle
and O’Keefe (available at www.amazon.com)
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Content Management
System for DITA
From The State of Structured Authoring by Pringle
and O’Keefe (available at www.amazon.com)
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3rd Generation Cool Tools:
Procedural User Assistance
• XML Editor• Content Management System
– Document-Centered– Crowdsourcing Wiki– Low-End Component– Proprietary Component– Open Component
• Translation Management System
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XML Editors:
Overview
• JustSystems XMetaL Author
• SyncRO Soft
<oXygen/> XML Editor
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XML Editors:
XMetaL Author
For More Information
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XML Editors:
XMetaL Author
• Create and edit documents in XML
and SGML
• Similar features to word processors
but native XML editor
• Configure to work with standard
and custom DTDs and XML Schema
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XML Editors:
XMetaL Author
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XML Editors:
XMetaL Author
Jeff’s take:
• Good for DITA
• Easy to update
• Automates workflow
• Easy to integrate with CCMS
like Trisoft DITA?
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XML Editors:
<oXygen/> XML Editor
For More Information
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XML Editors:
<oXygen/> XML Editor
• Multi-platform XML editor,
XSLT/XQuery debugger and
profiler with Unicode support
• Java application that can run in
Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux
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XML Editors:
<oXygen/> XML Editor
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XML Editors:
<oXygen/> XML Editor
Jeff’s take:
• Cheaper than XMetaL
• UI not quite as intuitive
• Doesn’t integrate as easily with
CMS?
• Good alternative
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Content Management:
Overview
• Document-Centered: SharePoint
• Crowdsourcing Wiki: Confluence
• Low-End Component: Subversion
• Proprietary Component: Author-it
• Open Component: SDL Trisoft DITA
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Content Management:
Microsoft SharePoint
For More Information
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Content Management:
Microsoft SharePoint
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Content Management:
Microsoft SharePoint
Jeff’s take:
• Document-centric
• Only used internally
• Does not support components
such as DITA objects
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Content Management:
Atlassian Confluence
For More Information
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Content Management:
Apache Subversion
For More Information
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Content Management:
Apache Subversion
Jeff’s take:
• Poor man’s CCMS
• Supports components such as
DITA objects
• Version control and content
management
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Content Management:
Author-it
For More Information
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Content Management:
Author-it
Jeff’s take:
• True integration (XML
Editor/CCMS/Translation)
• Proprietary
• Must “marry” the company
• Doesn’t support true DITA
output
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Content Management:
SDL Trisoft DITA
For More Information
![Page 97: Cool Tools for Technical Writers - Atlanta Chapterstcatlanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Cool-Tools-for-Technical-Writers.pdfHelp Authoring Tools: Overview Either/or: • Adobe](https://reader030.fdocuments.net/reader030/viewer/2022041103/5f02adce7e708231d405776e/html5/thumbnails/97.jpg)
Content Management:
SDL Trisoft DITA
Jeff’s take:
• True DITA integration with XML
editors like XMetaL
• Open source, non-proprietary
• Haven’t seen it in use yet
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Translation Management:
SDL WorldServer
For More Information
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Q&A
“The key to success is helping others by doing what you love.”
─Me