Many organisations find it hard to know how much time, money and effort to put into supporting their users. There’s a competition, of sorts, between the Technical Support and Technical Publications departments over how much budget they should receive. In some organisations, these departments are also competing, in a way, with content generated by users… Read more »
Category: usability
Can the experience of paper be replicated on a screen?
A number of organisations are experimenting with how the experience of reading a paper book or a magazine can be replicated when they are displayed on a screen: Science writer Eli Kintisch has created a Flash-based guide on using technology to deal with the effects of climate change, in the style of an airplane safety instruction card. Marvel Comics has… Read more »
Help in the clouds
Earlier this week, Google announced the launch of the Google Apps Marketplace, promising a one-stop shop for Web-based applications. Organisations will be able to build their individual suite of Web-based applications that integrate with Google’s own applications (for example, its word-processor and email applications). The idea is that you’ll have “best of breed” applications from a range of suppliers, rather than… Read more »
Using Web Analytics in Technical Documentation: interview with an expert
This is a 10 minute extract from a 45 minute interview we carried out with Dr Chris Bose, a Web Analytics expert, on the topic of using Web Analytics in technical documentation. It’s also a test of another way to publish a screencast – as a MP4 video. This format means the interview can be embedded into this blog. Please note,… Read more »
UK General Medical Council’s solution for reducing prescription errors? More usable, better designed forms
The BBC News today has a great example of the impact procedures documents and usable forms can have upon people’s lives. It reports the General Medical Council is is calling for a UK-wide standard prescription chart as the best way to reduce the 9% of hospital prescriptions that contain a mistake. Against common opinion, the study found it wasn’t doctors… Read more »