Technical Communication A Practical Approach Chapter 14 Web

Technical Communication A Practical Approach Chapter 14: Web Pages and Writing for the Web n n William Sanborn Pfeiffer Kaye Adkins

Web Pages and Writing for the Web n n n n Your Role in Developing Web Sites and Content Planning Structure Content Development Guidelines for Writing Web Content Design Usability and Publication Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 2 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Web Pages and Writing for the Web n n Guidelines for Writing Web Content Design Usability Testing Publication Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 3 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Your Role in Developing Web Sites and Content Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 4 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Your Role in Developing Web Sites and Content Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 5 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Planning n n Accessibility Guidelines Scripting Languages and Software Authoring Tools Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 6 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Planning n Planning Phase n n n Define the site’s purpose Analyze your audience Outline the scope of the site with clear goals Identify constraints Identify methods to incorporate user-centered design Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 7 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Accessibility Guidelines n Users may have trouble accessing Web sites because of n n n Computer system limitations or settings Physical disabilities Commonly used accessibility guidelines n n U. S. Government Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines World Wide Web Consortium (W 3 C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 8 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Government Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines n n n Ensure that users using assistive technology can complete and submit online forms. Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color. Provide a means for users to skip repetitive navigation links. Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element that conveys information. Ensure that all information on Web pages can be used by assistive technologies Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 9 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Government Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines n n n Provide text-only pages with equivalent information and functionality. Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps. Provide equivalent alternatives for multimedia elements that are synchronized. Organize documents so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet. Provide frame titles that facilitate frame identification and navigation. Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 10 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Planning n Scripting Language and Software-Authoring Tools n n HTML XHTML CSS PHP Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 11 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Structure n n Site Structures and Types Process of Developing a Structure Labeling Strategies Guidelines for Navigational Design Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 12 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Structure Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins

Structure n Site Structures and Types n Consider these two factors when choosing a site structure n Breadth n n The number of choices or content areas at any given level in the site’s structure Depth n The number of levels deep in a site structure Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 14 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Process of Developing a Structure Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 15 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Structure n Labeling Strategies n n n n Alphabetical Chronological Geographical By task By function By topic By question Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 18 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Structure n Navigation Design n n Hyperlinks Toolbar menus Site maps Search fields Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 19 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Structure n Guidelines for Navigation n n Use navigation element consistently throughout the Web site Group main site navigation links Place appropriate navigation tools in each new window or frame Place navigation links where they are clearly visible Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 20 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Content Development n n n Content Chunking Adapting Content for the Web Document Conversion Issues and Common File Formats Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 21 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Content Development n Content Chunking n n Stand-alone unit of text and graphics often separated from other content chunks by spacing on a page Size depends on purpose, screen layout, or specific project style guidelines n n Use five to seven wrapping lines of text Use graphics as large as what fits on screen Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 22 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Content Development n Adapting Content for the Web n n Check for internal consistency Decide which electronic formats to use n n Hypertext markup language (HTML) Adobe portable document format (. pdf) Microsoft Word (. doc) Rich text format (. rtf) Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 23 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Content Development n Document Conversion Issues and Common File Formats n n Select file formats that are commonly used Provide documents in multiple formats Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 24 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Guidelines for Writing Web Content n n n n Use a general-to-specific organization in individual content chunks Keep Web site structure in mind when creating chunks Format text for easy reading Identify text to be hyperlinked Develop a style sheet for consistency Edit carefully Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 25 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Design Conventions and Principles Finding a Theme and Developing Graphic Content File Formats and Graphics Interface Layouts n Web Site Design Guidelines n n n Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 26 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Design Conventions and Principles n n Place a hyperlink on the title banner or logo to the home page Place the site’s main navigation in the left or top margin Use consistent font faces, sizes, and colors Use descriptive titles and headers for each graphic and on every page Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 27 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Design Conventions and Principles n n n Provide contextual cues Maintain a consistent graphic identity Provide redundant navigation links Provide alternate descriptions of graphic content Use no more than three font faces Use colors that contrast well Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 28 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Design Conventions and Principles n Gestalt design principles n n n Create consistency in the use of elements in repetitive and similar ways on a page Contrast visual elements, such as colors, lines, or shaded regions Group elements together through space, color, or other graphic elements Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 29 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Finding a Theme and Developing Graphic Content n n n Establish a graphic identity or design theme for your site Consider the site’s tone and impression Select an appropriate theme for your users, purpose, content, and tone Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 30 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design n Interface Layouts n n n Header Navigation Content window Graphic identity Contextual clues Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 31 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Design Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins

Design n Web Site Design Guidelines n n Make site structure recognizable Focus readers’ attention on the information they want Indicate Web page active areas Associate text and graphics Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 34 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Usability Testing n n n Testing Your Site for Your User Base Performing Usability Reviews Quick Usability Checks and System Settings Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 35 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Usability Testing n Testing Your Site for Your User Base n Ensure the site is organized and functioning properly n n n n Set goals Select criteria Develop test materials Solicit participants Set up the testing environment Conduct the test Write a results report Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 36 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.

Web Usability Checklist Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and

Publication n Publishing Your Site n Obtain dedicated storage space on a Web server and check for the following n n Amount of storage space available Process for logging in to the server Address of the host server Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Web address Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins 38 Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. , All Rights Reserved.