Effective infographics can say more with a picture than a thousand words. So how can technical writers use infographics most effectively? Although we’ve blogged about infographics before in the post Infographics: Information at a Glance, we’ve never applied them...
Historically, technical writers worked with one product from start to finish. That meant beginning with an outline for the product or piece of equipment, writing the content, and then formatting it for delivery. In some industries, technical communication is...
Unclear instruction manuals or confusing user guides have become amusing tropes in our society. How many parents have looked cross-eyed at directions for constructing a doll house or a model car and wanted to wad them up and toss...
Before you sit down at the keyboard to type your next technical document, consider these five tips to enhance the effectiveness of your writing: Planning Word Choice Clarity Brevity Simplicity Planning Take some time before you start to consider...
User guides are essentially a set of instructions. Most user guides contain standard style and formatting techniques. These guidelines ensure consistency and ease of reading. What you include in your user guide will depend on the audience of the...
Industry Week’s M&T Conference, in Cleveland, Ohio, was a success – excellent job everyone! It was great to attend this prestigious show in our own backyard. This event offered Radcom many opportunities to get involved. We came to this...
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) not only lead to process improvement, they also improve a company’s overall organization and efficiency. There can be the misconception that SOPs are little more than useless paperwork. However, they offer insights beyond documentation by...
A little space goes a long way. Absence can make the heart grow fonder, and “white space” can make reading documents easier. The paradox of white space White space allows the viewer’s mind to breathe, so to speak. Technical...
A few months ago I wrote an introduction to Standard Technical English (STE). Check it out if you want to get a better idea of the history, uses, and benefits of STE. The following article is a visual representation...