Developing Usable Content And Documentation (DUCD)

Developing Usable Content and Documentation is a 3-day seminar that teaches participants the Information Mapping concepts, principles, and tools needed to

• re-think typical pages and screens of dense text, and
• transform them into graphically-presented, usable content.

This page contains these topics:

• Problem: Documentation does not meet user needs
• Mapping solution
• What you'll learn
• Who should attend
• Benefits
• Delivery options
• Details
• For further information

Problem: Documentation does not meet user needs

Facts:

• Office workers spend 25% of their time just looking for information.
• Office workers fail to find the information they're looking for 40% of the time.
• Most professional workers with questions do not consult the manuals, user guides, or intranets that contain the answers they seek; they call someone for the answer - because it is so much easier and quicker than wading through pages and pages or scrolling through screens and screens of dense text.
• Clients and suppliers who need answers about products and services face the same problem and usually call HELP LINES, costing everyone a lot of time and money.

Mapping Solution

Applying the Information Mapping method reformulates those pages and screens, transforming them from dense text into usable content.

Facts:

• Mapped documentation is used 38% more than conventional documentation because users know it is quick and easy to use.
• When Mapped documents are used, there is
  • a 32% increase in the accuracy of retrieval
  • a 54% reduction in performance error rates
  • a 70% reduction in questions to supervisors
  • between 30% and 40% reduction in training time.

What you'll learn

Participants learn how to

• define audience information needs and requirements
• design information that meets user needs
• develop information that is user-focused, accessible, and easy to update
• organize information in modular, flexible units for later re-use, and
• implement a documentation project.

Who should attend?

Developing Usable Content and Documentation is for anyone developing or designing manual-length or complex paper-based or online information, such as

• user guides
• operating procedures
• compliance documentation
• policy manuals
• training materials
• customer service guides
• safe work practices
• reference manuals, and
• system documentation
  

Benefits

Developing Usable Content and Documentation helps participants

• reduce questions to supervisors and support lines by creating documentation that users rely on
• organize long documents so users can find information quickly, and
• start writing more easily, reduce writing time, and get better results from their documentation.

Delivery Options

Developing Usable Content and Documentation is an in-class seminar that can be taken as a

• Public Seminar scheduled throughout the year at different locations, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Calgary, and Vancouver, or
• Onsite Seminar scheduled and conducted at a client location.
  

E-learning option
For the equivalent seminar in an e-learning format, click on Developing Business and Technical Communications.

Details

The details for the seminar are provided in the table below.

For further information

For further information or to register for Developing Usable Content & Documentation , contact us at

• Phone: (416) 769-7016
• Toll free: 1-888-INFOMAP (463-6627)
• Fax: (416) 769-7790
• E-mail: info@infomap.ca
• Mail: Information Mapping Canada
  357 Jane Street
  Toronto, Ontario M6S 3Z3