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Designing information to make it usable and to help users find what they need is
central to the work we do as technical communicators. We seek to understand our
audiences, and to present information in a way that will makes sense to them,
trying out new things, looking for methods that let us put into practice what
research has taught us.
Certain ways of thinking about audiences have become fairly standard. We think
about user skills sets, their knowledge and expertise in the domain, their level
of experience using a product.
Unfortunately, it’s not yet always a given to consider accessibility when we
write and develop information. Yet doing so can have important impacts for many
people. It can be surprising to realize what makes information hard to access.
(Ever tried to navigate a web page, or help system, without a mouse? Or had
information with lots of pictures read out loud to you, when you can’t see it?)
It is important to realize the types of problems different people have in
accessing information, understand what makes information easy or difficult to
access, and realize that how we put our information together can make a tremendous
difference for many people.
Even if your company does not have accessibility guidelines or has not placed
accessibility as a high priority, you can incorporate techniques into how you
write and develop information that will improve its accessibility. You probably
already work with an editorial or style checklist; you can broaden that checklist
to include factors that improve accessibility.
In this presentation you’ll see examples of user assistance that are accessible
and not-so-accessible under different circumstances, and learn techniques you can
use to increase the accessibility of information you develop.
Linda Urban, Linda Urban Communications, LLC
Linda Urban has over 20 years experience in technical communication. She works
on product usability, user interface design, help systems, software documentation,
and web-based information. Linda also teaches technical writing, information
architecture, online help, and other technical communication courses at the
UC Berkeley Extension and UC Santa Cruz Extension. Her work has received local
and international STC awards. Her website is
http://www.urbancreations.com
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