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Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions
Technical Writing in the Digital Age (view source)
Revision as of 23:43, 26 November 2023
, 6 months ago→User Experience: Added Information Architecture and Responsive Design to UX section - UX section still a work-in-progress
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==User Experience== | ==User Experience== | ||
User experience is how a product works from the perspective of the user. Digital documents can be created with efficient user experiences by | User experience (UX) is how a product works from the perspective of the user. Digital documents can be created with efficient user experiences by practicing several design methods, including user-centered design, information architecture, responsive design, and usability. | ||
=== User-Centered Design === | === User-Centered Design === | ||
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==== Maintenance and Updates ==== | ==== Maintenance and Updates ==== | ||
Maintenance and updates are required in order to maintain a digital document based on user feedback and changing needs. | Maintenance and updates are required in order to maintain a digital document based on user feedback and changing needs. | ||
===Information Architecture=== | |||
To ensure a digital document has effective UX design and accessible information, technical writers need to construct a clear and organized information architecture (IA). IA is a design principle that organizes information so that it is easily found and understood by users, prioritizing their needs and reducing information overload. A design challenge is making IA understood across multiple digital experiences, changing the navigation structure to fit different medias while staying logical and consistent for the user.{{sfn| Rosenfeld |pp=1, 17-18}} IA that is not constructed well can confuse the user and could cause them to give up their search of information in frustration.{{sfn| Garrand |pp=12}} | |||
The architecture components of IA can be divided into four different categories:{{sfn| Rosenfeld |pp=90}} | |||
*Organization systems: how information is categorized and organized for user understanding | |||
*Labeling systems: how information is represented | |||
*Navigation systems: how users browse information and navigate between pages | |||
*Searching systems: how users search for specific information | |||
===Responsive Design=== | |||
Responsive design is a strategy that appropriately updates the layout and content of a website or document in relation to the screen size, device, and/or orientation, allowing the site or document to be easily viewed and navigated regardless of device used. With the increased use of mobile devices, web content should be constructed with proper responsive web design (RWD) to ensure effective UX and usability on those devices.{{sfn| Robbins| pp=485}} | |||
There are several design strategies that can be implemented that will increase the success of RWD:{{sfn| Robbins| pp=487}} | |||
*Fluid layout – Responsive sites can be constructed using a fluid layout (or flexible grid) system that will allow content to adjust and flow according to the available screen space. | |||
*Flexible and responsive images – Images and other embedded media can be instructed so that they fit their containers instead of remaining at a fixed size. Images with varying resolutions can also be swapped according to screen size to avoid high-resolution images on smaller devices. | |||
*CSS media queries – Media queries can be written into the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), which would instruct the construction of the site according to screen width and orientation. Adding breakpoints for several screen sizes allows pages to be designed for specific devices. | |||
*Content hierarchy – Carefully constructing content that is organized for the user and creating a hierarchy of content that prioritizes user needs is necessary to ensure effective user experience and navigation across multiple screen sizes.{{sfn| Robbins| pp=499}} | |||
===Usability=== | |||
Technical writers must create documents and websites that meet the expectations of their readers and users, and in doing so, writers increase the usability of their site or document.{{sfn| Garrand | pp=26}} | |||
==Ethical Considerations== | ==Ethical Considerations== | ||