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Information
Developer's Toolkit
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models | processes |
Most authoring tools have features that can help you improve your productivity. You might be able to benefit from some of these suggestions now; keep the others in mind for future projects.
1. Use templates. Most full-function word processors, desktop publishing packages, and help authoring systems have "styles" for specialized types of documents, such as reports, dissertations, press releases, brochures, and letters. These styles contain, at the least, the formatting needed for headings, paragraphs, and specialized types of paragraphs like citations from other sources. In many instances, they even contain some of the text standardly used in these types of documents. These pre-developed styles were developed by document design experts. That minimizes the time you need to spend preparing page and screen designs, so you can invest your energies, instead, in effectively communicating ideas.
2. Use wizards. In some cases, authoring tools have document "wizards," special programs that walk you the process of creating a communication product step-by-step. If you have never developed a particular type of communication product before, this additional assistance might be helpful. For example, one full-function word processor has wizards for creating a newsletter, memos, and letters (with pre-written form letters included). One graphics package has wizards for creating sales, technical, and training presentations, that prompt you for certain types of information at appropriate points in the presentation.
3. Use named styles. Named styles in word processors are pre-formatted types of text. You apply a a named style to an entire block of text, such as a heading, paragraph, or list. For example, most full-function word processors and desktop publishing packages provide named styles for heading 1, heading 2, heading 3, and heading 4, for several types of body type, such as quotations, examples, and "normal," a typical paragraph. Named styles offer many advantages:
4. Create tables. Most full-function word processors and authoring tools let you easily create a table at the touch of a keystroke. You indicate that you want to insert a table and the system prompts you for the number of rows and columns. Some full-function word processors let you automatically format a table (add borders and shading) with a few keystrokes, adding a professional look to your tables.
5. Help readers find information by creating:
Most full-function word processors and desktop publishing packages let you easily create these elements, but the instructions are not readily apparent from the icons available on the display screen or the options listed on the menus. Similarly, most help authoring tools also let you create these elements, but the instructions are not readily apparent. Read the user’s guide or the online help to get instructions.
6. Improve the appearance of documents through the use of:
Most full-function word processors and desktop publishing packages let you create bulleted and numbered lists merely by highlight the text that is to be included in the list, and clicking on either a bulleted list or numbered list icon, depending on your needs.
These word processors and desktop publishing packages also provide sets of special symbols that can enhance the appearance of a document. For example,rather than using bullets at the beginning of a checklist, perhaps you could use the checklist symbol: þ . Similarly, precede a telephone number with a telephone symbol () ) and a mailing address with a letter symbol (* ).
7. Perform a quick replacement using "global change" feature. If you’re halfway through a document and decide that you would rather use the term display than monitor, you need not find every instance of the word monitor. You can use the global search and replace facility. Nearly all word processors, desktop publishing packages, and authoring systems provide such capabilities.
One caution, however. When you instruct the system to make a global change, it only change the text exactly as you have typed it. If you have instances of the term in another case (such as all upper case or initial capped), you need to conduct a separate global change. In addition, the system cannot change misspellings of the original term.
8. Reduce grammatical errors by using the grammar checker. Most people are aware of the spelling checker and many technical communication organizations require, as part of their standard procedures, that technical communicators use the spelling checker to identify misspellings before turning in an assignment for review.
However, fewer technical communicators make use of the grammar checker. Grammar checkers can help you identify misplaced modifiers, passive voice sentences, excessively long sentences, and other stylistic problems. Using a grammar checker does not preclude the use of an editor, but it does assist you in flagging some of the problems in your text before you send it out for a first review.
9. Insert information from other applications. In many instances, you need to use information that is already available on the computer. For example, suppose you have an online address book and want to write a letter to someone whose name and address appear there. If you are using software operating under Windows, Macintosh, or OS/2Ò operating systems, you can eliminate unnecessary keystrokes by copying the information from the address book and pasting it into another.
For more sophisticated needs, such as using a chart created from data stored in a spread sheet and that is likely to change as you develop your communication product, you can link the two files so that when information in the spreadsheet changes, the system automatically updates your commmunication product.
10. Include summary information with a file so you can easily find it later. Some applications let you store add a description and keywords to a file. Later, if you forget the file name or its location, you can search for the file based on its keywords. Similarly, the comments in the description help another person better understand the file should they assume responsibility for the communication product from you.
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(c) Copyright. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. Saul Carliner. All rights reserved.
