Principles of Information Architecture
Spring 1999
Assignment 2: Tool/Technique Analysis 
Required length: 2 pages

Due: By Class 9, as hardcopy submitted in person, or as email to the instructors. 

Background

In this class we discuss broad topics that are essential to the practice of technical communication, such as modular writing, single-sourcing, structured knowledge systems, and help system design. Technical communicators in the workplace encounter (and share!) hundreds of smaller tips, techniques, and issues that are essential elements of the technical communicator's "bag of tricks." We can't possibly discuss (or even create a list of) all these mini-topics in class.

Audience and Purpose

The purpose of the Tool/Technique assignment is to provide the other class participants with useful information (tips, tricks, or treats) on some aspect of technical communication technology that is not discussed in class.

Past topics have included:

  • Writing for translatability (localization issues)
  • Postscript basics
  • Designing usable icons
  • Choosing Web-safe colors for your web papes
  • Converting FrameMaker docs to HTML
  • Converting documents to Acrobat PDF format**
  • Hyperlinking and hyper-cross-indexing PDF documents
  • An overview of HTML**
  • A comparison of 10-12 HTML tools 
  • Usability studies in layout and design
  • Issues in typography (fonts and font choices)
  • Useful shareware and freeeware for technical communicators
  • Using TextPad
  • Using PaintShop Pro
  • Single-sourcing in FrameMaker
  • Indexing tools and techniques 
  • Converting Word documents to FrameMaker
  • Converting Frame docs to Frame+SGML
** Now covered as part of the regular class.