Writing at the User Interstices
The most coveted writing assignment in the computer industry is the overview of an integrated software package. It calls for careful pacing, creative metaphor, and lavish graphics, all integrated with...
View ArticleHow to Improve the UI--Really!
A colleague has made me realize that user assistance writers are codependents of bad UI design. Because we explain how the UI really works, we somehow leave our developers and companies feeling like...
View ArticleWriting Error Messages
Technical writers need to be involved in the creation of usable error messages. After all, it’s the technical writer who is the first advocate for the customer in any technology company, and often, the...
View ArticleThe Small Print: Writing User Interface Instructions
Experts say that a person’s behavior on the web is highly goal-driven. People have things they want to accomplish, whether it’s making a purchase, finding a recipe or learning how to do something new....
View ArticleOrganizing Content 23: The Interface Is Text
Language experts should play a more active role in shaping the interface because the interface is text. As such, writers do a disservice to project teams if they don’t play a role to help clarify and...
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