Why do Technical Authors only use two of the three qualities of good design? Vitruvius, the Roman architect, claimed a structure must exhibit the three qualities of firmitas, utilitas and venustas: it must be solid, useful and beautiful. Paul Mijksenaar, a modern day Information Designer, turned these qualities into a practical three-point formula: Reliability, Utility and… Read more »
Tag: Technical Communication
Why Nokia’s David Black is probably wrong about the manual-less cellphone
Nokia’s David Black provided an excellent opening keynote presentation at the TCUK 2010 conference, where he described the documentation produced by Nokia and predicted a bleak outlook for all but the most technical of Technical Authors. David’s team works mostly on developing information for developers and partners, rather than end users. He revealed that 50% of… Read more »
What every business can learn from a Haynes manual
The closing keynote presentation of TCUK 2010, made by J Haynes, Chairman of the Haynes Publishing Group, contained advice useful not only to those creating manuals but also to any organisation looking to communicate information to others. John went through the 50 year history of Haynes, publishers of the Haynes manuals, and explained the reason for the company’s… Read more »
Connecting the online and offline customer experience
This post is from Cherryleaf guest blogger, Derek Bishop. One of the most common issues affecting organisations and the ability to maximise the profitability of contact centres is the disconnect between the online and offline experience. Derek argues that a well constructed online and offline approach will ensure that customers are receiving the same levels… Read more »
Translating and localizing documents – Cherryleaf interview with Lloyd International
Below is an interview between Ellis Pratt of Cherryleaf and Jill Fifoot of Lloyd International. In the interview, we discuss localizing and translating technical documentation. See also our Translation Services.