Visual technical communication: XBRL in Plain English

As the volume of information we need to stay current continues to grow, it becomes increasingly important to deliver digital content in a way that sticks with learners. In order to avoid information simply flowing past learners' minds, we need to apply best practices for multimedia learning to our content.

Research shows the combined use of narration with visuals is effective for learning. Known as dual channel processing, it allows our brain to process information through both the eyes and ears at the same time. Done correctly, this can be a powerful way to reach, and more importantly, stick in learners' minds.

Connecting a visual image to the words we are hearing helps us make more sense from a multimedia message. It's when we make meaning--by linking what we learn to what we already know--that transfer to long term memory occurs.

The alternative is information, or cognitive, overload. We've all been there: transfixed gazes at computer screens or glazed-eye syndrome during a lecture in a dimly lit room.

In the above example, Just Systems adopted the digital storytelling technique used by Common Craft to describe the role of XBRL in financial reporting. It's a complicated subject and, in approximately six minutes, they've done a rather good job of explaining it. You could call it content marketing or selling your idea, but it's about getting a message across as effectively as possible. In a world where competition for our online attention is ferocious, making a message stick becomes as important as the message itself.

As making meaning from the online or mobile content remains the challenge of the day, I think we serve learners well through the effective use of visuals in the form of digital storytelling, mind mapping, videos, charts, graphs and the like.

When marketing and elearning collide

This morning I came across Apple's elearning when reading a blog entry called elearning is selling. I tend to agree with the opinion put forth in the blog. Today, people don't want to waste time being 'sold'. Consumers are smart and they know what they want. Show the the goods, how to use them, and let buyers decide is a better approach to marketing communication. I predict that marketing and elearning will increasingly collide as consumers seek answers to questions they have prior to buying a product or service.

I wanted to showcase this example of instructional design. I particularly like the way each short topic-based video clip appears as a graphic because the mind can simultaneously see both the specific topic and what they will learn as a whole. A suggestion would be to include the time in the lower right hand corner, e.g., 30 sec, to give the viewer an idea of how long each clip is.

This is an appealing way to present the content. The layout of the videos takes into consideration the fact that we recognize objects more quickly in patterns than in lines or lists. For example, if you place many marbles side by side in a line it is more difficult to accurately estimate the number than if they are separated into a polygonal or hexagonal shapes. With patterns, our mind makes a visual connection to the whole and can more easily break it down into parts. Any other thoughts you have on the instructional design of this example?

Instructional design in virtual worlds

This image (click to enlarge) was taken at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) location in Second Life (SL). I found it was an effective instructional design example and wanted to post it on my blog. It is strategically placed when you arrive at the ASTD headquarters in SL so that, as a first-timer, you can quickly get up to speed and start making your way around in SL. This makes me think about my profession and whether there are different techniques for improving technical communication in a virtual world.

As a member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and working as an instructional designer for online learning, I've often seen the overlap between the two fields. Most of the people I know in the technical communication field specialize in writing. I think as more people go online for learning and training, the shift toward more visual instruction is necessary. Why? It is too difficult to sit and read large amounts of text while staring at a screen for long periods of time. I'd like to see an area of training develop on how to best instruct for virtual worlds. I will definitely continue exploring this while I build training there. I would also welcome any tips, books or links anyone would like to share on how to improve instruction in SL.

Why learning objects make sense

It’s about learning by design. When you offer learning in the form of bite-size chunks, known as modules or objects, you set yourself up for knowledge-sharing success on many different levels.

Cognitive load. Your customers and employees are much more likely to retain information about your product and service when it’s presented in smaller pieces. Our working memory can only retain about four ideas at a time, so it’s a good idea to give people the option to go to something, learn about it, and come back again when they’re ready.

Adaptability. When information is built in smaller pieces, it’s more flexible and less costly to change it according to learner needs. Equally, it is easier to build upon information that has already been learned by adding new information incrementally. This lets you custom build training that grows with the learner. There has never been a better time to build a scalable knowledge base for your customers and employees.

Focus. Learning products offered in smaller chunks have the benefit of focusing exactly on what learners need to know.
In today’s busy world, people don’t have time to sift through long documents or attend lengthy training or e-learning sessions. Instead, why not offer them searchable content where they can access exactly what they need, when they need it?

Reuse. When information is easier to find, and use, it’s also easier to reuse. Changing information in the form of updates, versions and compliance requirements can put a burden on content developers. Updating information that is built in smaller reusable chunks is much easier because only the parts that need changing are affected.

Interoperability. The increasing use of learning management systems makes learning by design even more sensible. Using a learning framework such as SCORM means that you know your information can be included in a learning management system in the future should you choose to go that way.

Here is a presentation (no audio) by MaryFriend Shepard, Program Director for the PhD in Educational Technology Program at Walden University examining the changes universities are experiencing with online learning. Much of what we at Knowledgework are bringing to the workplace is in response to the increasing numbers of workers who expect to have flexible, on-demand learning available. Are organizations prepared to meet this requirement?

New trends in technical communications

I am inspired by the In Plain English videos produced by Common Craft that have recently appeared on the web. The videos embody the power of effective technical communication: know your audience and communicate using a style and language to match that audience. The success of the videos says that they have accomplished this feat. The In Plain English podcasts remind me of the For Dummies guides in their approach to communicating key information in an easy to follow format. Great job guys!

Wikis in Plain English:


RSS in Plain English:


Social networking in Plain English:


I know it's a lot, but thought they were worth showing. In fact, right now I am using info from a For Dummies guide to create a video. My guess is this will be an important way to transfer knowledge in the years to come.

DITA specialization tutorial just out

A great new tutorial that explains in detail how to specialize DITA for your company or organization can be found here. This is a useful guide for anyone wanting to learn the practicals of creating specializations for DITA.

Update: Same tutorial in real time from Central Texas DITA users group:

Good to watch if you want to learn more about creating specializations for DITA. Note that without specialization it becomes impossible to use XML on a large scale. Thanks CT DITA users group for this resource!

Screencast tutorials used more often in technical communications

Technical communications are experiencing a profound shift with the advent of new technologies. One example is the use of podcasts and screencasts to explain procedures that once were outlined in user manuals and quickstart guides. While I don't believe the need for printed material will disappear, online tutorials are necessary to improve customer satisfaction and product understanding.

We are currently working on an online training series for a client that takes the form of interactive screencasts. The goal of this project is to help company employees adopt and become proficient with Lotus Sametime and reduce the number of calls to an already overworked helpdesk. Lotus Sametime has the ability to connect users through instant messaging, voice chats and online web conferencing, but it will only have value if employees really start using it. Employees currently have access to written material, however, they lack the time to learn this software with their busy schedules. Hence, the IT department would like to offer on-demand training videos designed to help people get up-to-speed with the basics.

I will soon be including examples of customized training videos on our website at www.knowledgework.ca. If you think this service would be useful for your company, please contact us at info@knowledgework.ca stating your needs and I would be glad to provide you with a reasonable quote. Best regards.

Lone-DITA offers useful compilation of links

I was beginning to compile a list of links and data related to DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture), which is a method of structuring content created by IBM. We believe DITA is useful for those who need a way to maintain consistency and reduce costs with the increased push to publish information about different products in multiple formats and languages. Specifically, we find DITA has the potential to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of information due in large part to its ability to:

• Publish content in multiple formats from a single source
• Create reusable content
• Create versions for multiple audiences, platforms and products
• Separate content from formatting
• Improve consistency by making changes in one place and the change propagates everywhere
  

Today I discovered the site Lone-DITA. This site is extremely helpful in that it provides a DITA tutorial, which explains DITA and also allows you to see how it functions. The site contains a plethora of useful links to information that will help anyone learn about this methodology and determine whether it is right for their needs. I was randomly collecting links related to DITA, XML and other related technologies but will hold off, seeing that this has already been taken care of by Lone-DITA.

I plan to use Lone-DITA as a resource and am adding it to the right hand side of links for anyone else who would like to delve in and explore. This has saved me time in trying to do this myself and I would like to thank the author of this site and wish her much success. Cheers.

Using Camtasia to do screencast tutorials

We are presently preparing a series of tutorials on software products including IBM Lotus Sametime, a web conferencing tool that allows teams to meet remotely, instant message and share desktops. This is a good tool for businesses and the software we are using to record the tutorials is Camtasia.

So far so good. The plan is to have some of these tutorials up on our site as an example of our work, and to give an idea of the kind of customized information products that we produce to enhance learning. Look for this by the end of July to early August. Have a good weekend everyone!

Joined Squidoo and other bits of info

Today I finally got around to creating a lens on Squidoo. For anyone who has not yet heard of this new web 2.0 tool, it is a portal where you can market anything you are passionate about. You can make it an information site, a place to draw traffic to your website or blog, or a place to earn some money. Here's mine. I haven't done much with it, but I would like my squidoo 'lens' to serve two purposes: be a resource for technical communicators and raise awareness about my services.

Also, for technical writers out there, you may find the following article, Technical writers may shape future of American lit, of interest. Two statements I agree with in the article are: "I think in the technical writing world, we are trying to create a one-to-one correspondence to reality," (yep) and "observe, observe, observe with all your senses. And document." Quite succinct about what it is we actually do methinks.

Veotag looks good

Ok, I thought we'd be waiting for this technology to arrive yet, alas, it is here. Veotag, with it's ability to navigate within a podcast or vodcast, is available. It provides a clickable table of contents which I thought, until now, was an impediment inherent in using podcasts or vodcasts for technical content. While I realize the product places an emphasis on its marketing capabilities, I am sure technical writers will undoubtedly see the potential it has for their trade. Have fun browsing the veotag site (I did). Once you sign up as a (free) member, you can scroll through already made veotags or make one of your own.

Veotag holds great potential to the world of technical communications.

Technical communication and web 2.0 tools

A new technique for acquiring the data we need for technical documentation is the use of wikis. They serve as planning sites or brain dumps in the techie world and are a great place for technical communicators to go and sift through information in order to present it to end-users in more palatable forms such as on-line help and tutorials.

Ten interesting ideas for using wikis at work can be found here and here and, not surprisingly, operations guides and technical documentation are two of them. I especially like the idea of a recent trends section to keep track of changes in our profession. I think I'll suggest this to the Montreal STC chapter if it hasn't already been done. Cheers.