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What is it?

A broad term for describing the different forms of content that can help people use a software application or other technological product correctly.

Why is it important?

User assistance places the work that technical communicators do within the framework of user-centered design, of improving the experience of a user, rather than seeing that work as simply creating manuals.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: User Assistance"

What is it?

Content that is modular, structured, reusable, format-free, and semantically rich and, as a consequence, discoverable, reconfigurable, and adaptable.

Why is it important?

Intelligent content enables organizations to rapidly adapt their content to the changing needs of their customers and the devices they use.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Intelligent Content"

What is it?

A self-contained unit of information, most often with text-intensive content in printed or digital formats. In its broadest sense, a document can also include audio, video, or interactive content as well as text. We can even stretch this definition to fit documents that are enhanced with sensing, computational, and communications capabilities, such as augmented reality documents that overlay context-sensitive information on their base content.

Why is it important?

Documents organize the interactions between people, between people and enterprises and institutions, and between the machines and computers that are ubiquitous and essential in today’s information-intensive world.

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What is it?

Any text, image, video, decoration, or user-consumable elements that contribute to comprehension.

Why is it important?

Content is the single most-used way of understanding an organization’s products or services, stories, and brand.

...continue reading "Term of the Week: Content"