Currents 2006 Pre-conference Workshop
Friday March 24, 2006
The 2006 Currents conference offers a full-day
workshop:
Writing for Small Spaces, Rob Houser, User
First Services, Inc.
User assistance is moving into software applications; however,
space is a precious commodity in a user interface. We must
justify every word we write, showing how our words help to
ensure a successful user experience. In this workshop, we will
practice the art of saying more with fewer words. This workshop
discusses what type of information goes in embedded user
assistance, and you will practice writing embedded help,
on-screen text, error messages, and context-sensitive help that
answers user questions with as few words as possible.
Also discussed are the considerations for implementing
embedded user assistance so you can be prepared to explain to
the decision-makers in your organization why it is important to
integrate user assistance with applications and how to go about
doing that effectively.
In this workshop, you will learn:
- How to identify opportunities to embed user assistance
unobtrusively into a user interface
- How to write concise and useful embedded help, on-screen
text, error messages, and context-sensitive help
- How to explain to decision-makers the advantages and
requirements for integrating help with an application
Audience: Technical communicators who need to write
more effective embedded user assistance.
Schedule:
|
8:00 |
Registration/Continental Breakfast |
|
8:30 |
Welcome |
|
8:45 |
Morning Workshops Begin |
|
10:15 |
Morning Break |
|
10:30 |
Morning Workshops
Resume |
|
12:00 |
Lunch |
|
1:15 |
Afternoon
Workshops Begin |
|
2:30 |
Afternoon Break |
|
2:45 |
Afternoon
Workshops Resume |
|
Times are subject to change. Workshop includes continental
breakfast, refreshment breaks, and buffet lunch (vegetarian
choices available). |
|
