One of the emerging trends in the 2010-2020 decade is the emergence of the ‘Maker Generation’. According to The Economist: The maker movement is both a response to and an outgrowth of digital culture, made possible by the convergence of several trends. New tools and electronic components let people integrate the physical and digital worlds… Read more »
Tag: user assistance
Brand authenticity and the role of the Technical Author
The current edition of Autocar (14/12/11) contains an interview with David Woodhouse, head of Ford’s London Strategy Concept Group, a semi-secret team that looks at emerging consumer trends. From the article: Woodhouse said “One of the rising trends is the search for authenticity. How does it (the product) tell you what it is?” Woodhouse points… Read more »
New – Affective Assistance and marketing writing services
Cherryleaf’s announced a new service today – Affective Assistance and marketing writing services . With technology becoming part of everyday life, sometimes the traditional approach to writing user documentation just doesn’t meet users’ needs. It can be the case that the formal and succinct approach to writing User Assistance isn’t right for users of your product… Read more »
Is a nudge enough to change user behaviour?
In 2010, the UK government set up a “nudge unit” to look at ways the public could be persuaded – “nudged” – into making better choices for themselves without force or regulation. This should be of interest to software designers and Technical Authors, because perhaps the same techniques could be used in the field of… Read more »
Help is broken?
Are we at the point when we need to acknowledge that classic online Help files are not working as well as they should – that is, as the primary source of information to assist users when they get stuck? This is not a Don Draper “why I’m quitting tobacco” moment, and this is not a… Read more »