Format plays a significant role in determining how quickly users can access information. Where will your document be used? For what purposes?
Consider emergency exit instructions for example. Simple, often visual, directions are typically posted at eye level by stairwells and elevator lobbies so they can be easily accessed in an emergency. Emergency directions online or in a manual are less accessible, and less useful, during a real emergency, but may be helpful when training new staff or reviewing and updating current procedures.
Main format options include:
Print formats
- May be as complex as a printed guide or as simple as a sheet of paper, a quick reference card, a keyboard overlay or laminated wall chart
- Can be generated by a very large pool of resources, both in-house or via contract
- Have well-understood access points (such as contents, headings, index)
- Are generally robust, durable and portable
- Usually entail significant post-documentation production and distribution costs
- Typically require significant effort and cost to update
- Often require significant effort to convert to electronic formats
- Include help systems, Content Management Systems (CMS), Portable Document Format (PDF) projects and even online Word files
- Generally need writers or other dedicated resources with specialized knowledge to produce and manage
- Are well-understood by some users, but often unfamiliar to most
- May require training time for users
- Require access to a computer, and sometimes specialized software, a web connection and possibly a printer
- As a rule entail almost no post-documentation production or distribution costs
- Typically necessitate less effort and cost to update and easily accommodate small, frequent updates
- Entail less effort to convert to other electronic formats
No comments:
Post a Comment