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Slides from my lightning presentation at #stc13 - STC Technical Commuication Summit. This time there won't be too much information ;-)
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Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Content is just stuff we write, isn’t it?
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
! I bet, in addition to tech comm, you are also doing...
! Content Strategy
! Information Architecture
! User eXperience and/or interface design
! Marketing
! Etc…
“Content is a hairy, Complicated Beast”���-Kristina Halvorson, introducing Erin Kissane’s “The Elements of Content Strategy”
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Designing User Assistance - Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
! Problem #1: with traditional “static” documentation, the product gives meaning to the docs.
! Users’ experience with the product takes them from the abstract realm of reading about the product...
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Designing User Assistance - Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
! Problem #1: with traditional “static” documentation, the product gives meaning to the docs.
! Users’ experience with the product takes them from the abstract realm of reading about the product...
! to the reality of performance.
! For software, the obvious next step was to embed the user assistance in the product itself.
! Minimalism + Structured Authoring make this doable.
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Let’s Look at Minimalism
! Two common ideas about minimalism:
! Don’t waste user’s time with unnecessary detail, especially concepts
! Save money in production and localization with reduced content
! STEP 1!! STEP 2!! STEP 3!
DON’T DO THAT!
NOTE:!
WARNING!!
! Is memorizing a procedure by rote
necessary for competency? ! If co
ncepts are im
portant,
how do we include the
m
without “wasting
users’
time?”
! How do I know if I need to do this? ?!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Double Embeddedness
! We want to give the user all the information s/he needs and only the information s/he needs.
! For the most part, we’ve assumed that means procedures. Concepts are out -‐ too long, too messy, too irrelevant. The user wants to meet her or his contingent need.
! But John Carroll didn’t say that – he said, most people learn better by doing something than by reading something. Cognitive science says the same thing.
! Why not embed conceptual information in procedures?
! So here’s the
problem:
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Double Embeddedness: ���UA in UI and Concepts in Tasks
Right now, you a
re probably sa
ying, “this gu
y is NUTS!” Didn’t anyone tell
you that’s a basic tech comm 101 no-‐no?
NEVER mix procedures and concepts! That’s what amateurs do!
Why do you think we have different DITA topics for them?
Get a haircut! Get a job! A REAL job!
DITA actually does have mixed topics
Give them a bit of decision support and they’ll do the rest!
The DITA Step element includes stepresult and info subelements
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Going Beyond: Empowering the user
BY EXTENSION, S/HE CAN ALSO...!
! Intensify knowledge levels for personal
interest ! Pursue related information as a hobby
! Extend professional competency independently ! Look to past experiences to find out
what s/he may have forgotten
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Going Beyond: Empowering the user
A culture o
f information
sharing an
d knowledge
building, in
side and ou
tside the o
rganisation
.
What I do can be useful for others, and what others
do has an effect on what I can use -‐ for example, if a
YouTube post has good tags or not.
This changes how we react to our environment, and has social and ethical implications
This is know
n as
cognitive de
velopment
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Cognition and Context
Context is everything!
! Concept topics remain abstract. Their application seems distant to the user.
! A conceptual sentence or two in context (while performing a task) reinforces knowledge acquisition and integration.
! Tasks should also explain why it is interesting to do them – Decision Support
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Cognition and Context
Context is everything!
! Concept topics remain abstract. Their application seems distant to the user.
! A conceptual sentence or two in context (while performing a task) reinforces knowledge acquisition and integration.
! Tasks should also explain why it is interesting to do them – Decision Support Lots of detail does
not necessarily mean more knowledge
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Having Lots of Resources is not always a solution...
… IF YOU DON’T HAVE ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF THEM
Hidden User Assistance is no Help at all!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Integrated Competency Learning
Adapted by Dr. Neus Lorenzo from Phil Ball & Keith Kelly (2009) Ref: http://ow.ly/dLK8g & http://goo.gl/Ul3A2
+ Individually significant contextualisation (contingency)
+Socio-‐cultural construction (information sharing, mentoring)
+Procedural Memorisation
+ Cognitive construction and process reasoning
+Code: Mastery of the language, interface, iconography...
+Thematic knowledge (SME)
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
...AND WHEN????!
Integrated Competency Learning
Adapted by Dr. Neus Lorenzo from Phil Ball & Keith Kelly (2009) Ref: http://ow.ly/dLK8g & http://goo.gl/Ul3A2
+ Individually significant contextualisation (contingency)
+Socio-‐cultural construction (information sharing, mentoring)
+Procedural Memorisation
+ Cognitive construction and process reasoning
+Code: Mastery of the language, interface, iconography...
+Thematic knowledge (SME)
WHERE IN THIS SPACE DO YOU WANT YOUR
USERS?!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved COGNITIVE-‐SYMBOLIC COMPLEXITY
RICH
NES
S OF TH
E CO
NTE
NT
+!
+!-!
To Encourage Learning we ���must stimulate cognitive demand
Adapted from a scheme by Dr. Neus Lorenzo
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved COGNITIVE-‐SYMBOLIC COMPLEXITY
RICH
NES
S OF TH
E CO
NTE
NT
+!
+!-!
To Encourage Learning we ���must stimulate cognitive demand
Bloom’s Pyramid
Adapted from a scheme by Dr. Neus Lorenzo
Are we having fun
yet?!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Dimensions of Competency
Integrated Learning
Literal Content
Communication
Cognition
Community
Complexity
Criteria Selection
Beginner
Basic
Threshold
Functional
Advanced
Mastery Quantity
Qua
lity
Interfaces, hardware, software, user assistance, hands-‐on and conceptual combined
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Dimensions of Competency
Integrated Learning
Literal Content
Communication
Cognition
Community
Complexity
Criteria Selection
Beginner
Basic
Threshold
Functional
Advanced
Mastery Quantity
Qua
lity
Quantity of information > contingent need learner gets confused, sense of chaos Can’t keep track of it all
In moving from contingent need to confusion, we still learn more.
Interfaces, hardware, software, user assistance, hands-‐on and conceptual combined
COMPLEXITY ≠ CHAOS!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
THE HAIRBALL OF CONTENT!
! Technical communication
! Content strategy
! Information Architecture
! User Experience
! Interface Design
! Localization
! And many more...
CONTENT WORK
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
! Learn by doing -‐ Double Embeddedness: ! Integrated procedures and user experience
! Embedded user assistance
! High added Value
! Single, holistic process ! Interface
! User Assistance
! Design
! Information Architecture
Cognitive Integrated Development
OH!!
Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved
Thank You! email: [email protected]
Twitter: @RayGallon LinkedIn: Ray Gallon Google+: +Ray Gallon
Member, Board of Directors
RAY GALLON C U L T U R E C O M
Check out my blog, « Rant of a Humanist Nerd: »
http://humanistnerd.culturecom.net
NOW GO OUT AND KEEP MAKING GOOD CONTENT!
Portions of t
his presentat
ion based on
research by
the Transfo
rmation Societ
y
working group
.