1. Free Alternatives to Expensive Technical Writing Software
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... the knobs may be in different places, and they may call different features by different names, but you already know how to drive it, and that's the most important part. So, below is the list of free alternatives ...

2. How to Write Editing Comments For Authors
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... the author a suggestion for improving the sentence depending on what they were trying to say. Doing this is so important because it tells the author that you aren’t simply going to change the text without ...

3. Using Comic Books for Technical Instruction
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... information is certainly not new. The US Army for example has been using comic books for years to relay important instructions to its troops. The picture below is from a comic book made in the 1960's that ...

4. What is a Technical Writing Portfolio?
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... extensive (meaning more than usual) research, each took knowledge of important technology to create (like programming languages or software tools), and each took a combination of skills (like writing and ...

5. 5 Important Books in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

5 Important Books in Technical Writing  There are hundreds of books on technical writing, and I know everyone has there favorite. However, I've singled out five that I think are most important to practicing ...

6. Using Old School Web Design
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

... be brought back. At the very least, it seems somehow important that we remember where we came from, because these elements become a link to where we’ve been and at the same time suggest where we’re going.  ...

7. Usability Testing: Using Eye-Tracking Software
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... page should be laid out. Seeing the entire page without really looking at it is important. It means that readers will get meta-information first and then begin to narrow down their visual selections according ...

8. How to Use Color in Your Documents
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... Be aware of every design element on the page, including the color of the font and the page itself. When it comes to graphics, try to analyze what the reader will find important in the message you are trying ...

9. Web Design: Font and Page Size
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

... they are no longer in use.The first exhibit deals with font, text and page size. Font type and size. What a boring element to start with, but what an important ingredient in any written communication. ...

10. How to Write Policies and Procedures
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... in mind when writing your P&P's, otherwise you might leave out important or necessary information (see my article on audience to better understand how and why to consider each group). In terms of actually ...

11. Technical Communications and Programming: The Economic Reasons for Commenting
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... is especially important when a programmer is introduced to a software system. In such a case the documentation provides insight about the system and helps the unfamiliar programmer quickly become familiar ...

12. Technical Communication and Programming: Internal and External Documentation
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... in a number of ways, like labeling the condition that ends a loop. But the most important thing internal documentation can do is to help someone understand why a particular piece of code is there in the ...

13. Why You Should Edit Your Information
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... But in an important process, or in any information that must be quickly understood, it is absolutely imperative that the information be edited for these types of mistakes. What's more, if you plan on translating ...

14. Universal Usability and Culture
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... people read and--more importantly--understand information. These cultural factors lay at the very foundation of how we judge the world and make decisions. Research--by NMSU's very own Barry Thatcher among ...

15. Persuasive Writing Example
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... participation is so important.   Due to the specific assistance of YYYY, our students gain an education that directly responds to the needs and trends of professional organizations. This is such an important ...

16. PowerPoint Tips
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... contrast between the background and the text. The important thing to see on a slide is the text, so make sure your audience can see it. And finally, make sure you have no grammar or spelling problems ...

17. Resume Guide Part 9
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... with to be located first. It is especially important, then, in the case of the experience-oriented resume to be choosy about what you include. If you had a job similar to the one you are now applying for, ...

18. Resume Guide Part 8
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... for Government Jobs,” or “Resumes for Healthcare Jobs,” but in truth there’d little difference between these resumes—except for the content, and that’s the important part we’re covering here. In truth ...

19. Resume Guide Part 6
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... of places: remember that it isn’t simply a similar job like this one, but the individual tasks that are important. In other words, let’s imagine that the ad calls for two different responsibilities, and ...

20. Resume Guide Part 4
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... of confidentiality,” both of which are qualifications of the job she’s applying for. So why is this important? She could have just said “I’m very discrete and can keep a secret,” but who would believe ...

21. Resume Guide Part 3
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... more buried in the text than it can be in a resume. A person reading a cover letter is willing to take more time to find the important information, just like you might when you read a magazine or newspaper ...

22. Resume Guide Part 2
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... assisted, reviewed, ensured, created and interviewed. What do each of these words have in common? First, each of them is taken from the job ad, so they are keywords. Secondly, and more importantly, they ...

23. Resume Guide Part 1
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

... of the resume is important: people are attracted to what they visually find pleasing. But then people go beyond that, especially in a resume, and begin to seek substance. So what you say matters—perhaps ...

24. How to Align Text
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... edge. The ragged right edge allows the eye to more quickly see where each line ends, and so it is easier to then begin each line. Though not that important when reading line by line, it becomes essential ...

25. Technical Communication and Programming: Using Writing Rules
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... seen, many programmers do quite a good job at commenting their programs. But as in all writing there is always room for improvement. Why is it so important anyway? For starters, open source code is daily ...

26. Usability Testing: Task-based Testing
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

Task-based usability tests are perhaps the most important type of usability measurements available. Simply put, they require users to attempt to actually use the item in question. Their failure or success ...

27. Usability and Engineering Design
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

Engineering design is often used to steer the creation and development of products. The engineering design is a process taught and followed in most engineering departments throughout the country. Most ...

28. Goals of Technical Communication
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

Technical communication has a few goals that are important to remember before, during and after the design of information. First of all, we need to design the communication with PURPOSE. There are two ...

29. How to Use Font Type
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

You wouldn't think that something as seemingly insignificant as the type of font you use (i.e., Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Garamond, etc.) could be so important, but it really is. As one of the ...

30. The Context of Communication
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... have to explain more, give more background, and define the terms you use. As important as who you are delivering information to is why you are delivering the information. This is the context (some call ...

31. Your Audience
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of technical communication, or any type of communication for that matter, is audience. Everything we write or communicate--if we expect to do it successfully--depends ...