I recently accompanied someone to an Apple store to look at laptops and I was pleasantly surprised by the entire user experience. Initially I was expecting the typical high pressure, “gimme your money” experience like you get at some of the big box and “discount” stores, but that wasn’t the case. Immediately upon walking into [...]
Encapsulating text within a box is a common task many writers face when creating documentation. From simple callouts to highlighting code or command line examples, wrapping text in boxes can highlight key information and add to the look and feel of your document. In this article we’ll look at two common methods (and one not [...]
If you’ve worked with PDF files, you may have heard of PDF/A or PDF/X. But what exactly are these things and how might they be useful to you? In this article we’ll take a quick look at the five standard PDF file specification subsets and what purpose they serve.
PDF files contain descriptions for a wide [...]
With over a decade of Windows GUI development we’ve seen it all. Incorrect window types, inconsistent placement of buttons and confusing error messages are just the tip of the iceberg. Here are 6 quick guidelines you can use during development to help improve your user interface and enforce your business logic.
Tool window or regular window: [...]
We’ve assisted a number of organizations in developing an FAQ or “frequently asked question” section for their knowledgebases. Like good usability, an FAQ section requires careful consideration in order to make it useful. Think about the last time you went to a company’s website with the “most obvious question” in mind, only to spend minutes [...]
On a recent trip overseas I brought my laptop along so that I could work abroad. As this was my first time travelling with this piece of kit, I thought I’d share some of my learning’s which you may want to consider if you are planning to travel with or purchase a laptop.
Laptop size: for [...]
You probably see files with extensions like .docx and .pdf everyday, but every so often someone sends us a file with an extension that we’ve never heard of. And just when we’re expecting Windows to allow us to select a web service to open the file (note to Microsoft: why isn’t “Select a program” the [...]
Someone once told me that every time you take your hand off the keyboard to use the mouse, you’re wasting valuable time. That advice has stuck with me over the years, and where possible I always strive to use keyboard shortcuts. Here are some of the more common (and useful) shortcuts which can help you [...]
I recently had to re-install an Excel macro on a new computer, that I had written a few years ago for a customer. The macro reads information from a database and updates cells in a spreadsheet and is therefore dependant on some external libraries most notably Microsoft DAO. However during the installation process I was [...]
The Society of Technical Communicators (STC) is an organization dedicated to the support and advancement of technical writing and technical communication. With chapters around the world including Vancouver (www.stcwestcoast.ca), anyone can enrol and enjoy a number of benefits.
If you or your company is involved in any sort of documentation, technical writing or technical editing, an [...]
