Practical Tips for Single Sourcing to Mobile & EPUB

Practical Tips for Single Sourcing to Mobile amp EPUB

Nicky Bleiel ComponentOne Doc-To-Help

Rochester Chapter

Nicky Bleiel

Lead Information Developer

ComponentOne Doc-To-Help

STC Rochester Spectrum

March 22 2013

Biography mdash Nicky Bleiel bull 18+ years of experience as a technical

communicator

bull Vice President STC

bull Written and designed documentation for software products in the documentation media industrial automation simulation and pharmaceutical industries

bull Speaker at STC WritersUA tcworld LavaCon and CIDM on a variety of topics

bull Technical Writing Instructor Community College of Allegheny County

bull wwwnickybleielcom

We will discusshellip Best practices for single-sourcing to Mobile Help and EPUB

From One to Many

Co

nte

nt

Browser-based Help

Manual

Mobile Help

EPUB

Etc hellip

HTMLHelp (chm)

Browser-based Help

EPUB Manuals

Mobile Help

Mobile Facts and Figures

Device Trends Growth rate of iOS and Android device adoption faster than any consumer technology in history

Mobile Device Adoption Explodes Internationally

Top Mobile OSs

httpgsstatcountercommobile_os-ww-monthly-201110-201209-bar

Top Mobile Browsers

httpgsstatcountercommobile_browser-ww-monthly-201110-201209-bar

Mobile Help Examples

Apps v Mobile Help

from httpwwwnoupecomhow-tosmobile-web-design-tips-and-best-practiceshtml

EPUB v Mobile Help

EPUBs can be read on Mobile devices but Mobile Help is

bull Easier to navigate

bull Easiermore robust search

bull All-in-one pane design

bull A ldquoUArdquoweb experience not a ldquobookrdquo experience

Mobile Help

Motorola Razr Mobile Help

Razr Manual

iPhone 4 Mobile Help

iPhone Manual

Tips and Best Practices

Generic Mobile Persona

Start here make more specific with scenarios

bull Often distracted

bull Using one hand

bull ldquoFat fingerrdquo

bull Using device in varying situations

bull Want fast load times

General Best Practices

bull Keep it simple and prioritize content

bull Use vertical navigation

bull Be concise

bull Simplify navigation

bull Be ldquothumb friendlyrdquo

From httpsocialmediabiz2012053110-best-practices-for-your-mobile-website

and httpgooglemobileadsblogspotcom201111gomo-ten-mobile-site-best-practiceshtml

A Note About Navigationhellip

httpdeveloperandroidcomdesignpatternsnavigationhtml

httpdeveloperapplecomlibraryiosdocumentationuserexperienceconceptualmobilehigUIElementGuidelinesUIElementGuidelineshtml

Tables of Contents bull For mobile keep TOCs to no more than 2

levels (2 taps)

bull Keep TOC entries short

Single source management

bull Output-specific TOCs or restructure TOCs for all outputs

bull Use Conditional Text features

Tables bull Avoid tables with dense text

bull Large tables make scrolling necessary In EPUBs there can be display issues

Single source management

bull Use Conditional text features

bull Use Collapsible Text features

bull Consider reimagining tables

Terminology Desktop terminology ndash such as ldquoClickrdquo ndash does not apply

Single source management

bull Manage with Variables

bull Avoid using device-specific terminology when possible

Touch Gesture Reference Guide

Keep It Concise Content

ndash Some Topics or text may not be necessary for mobile

ndash Consider a fresh edit of content

Single source management

bull Review and revise content (+1 for translation usability)

bull Use conditions andor variables to manage content as needed

Minimalism According to ldquoThe Nurnberg Funnelrdquo

ndash Minimalizing the obstructiveness to the learner of the material itself

ndash Allow learners to start immediately on meaningfully realistic tasks

ndash Reducing the amount of reading and other passive activity

Goals of minimalism

bull Helping to make errors and error recovery less traumatic and more pedagogically productive

bull Easy-to-scan

Images bull Graphics should be used only as needed

bull Images need to work across platforms Recommendations PNG for screen captures JPG for photos GIF for simple graphics

Single source management

bull Use Conditional text features

Video

Approximately one billion YouTube videos are streamed on cell phones every day

Different Ossdevices need different video formats

Single source management

bull Link to videos rather than embed

bull Use Conditional text features

Indexes

bull Not necessarily needed in Mobile

ndash Users more likely to use Search

ndash ldquoFat Fingersrdquo make them harder to use

Single source management

bull HAT should provide ability to hide the Index

Accessibility

Features built into devices plus 3rd party apps

bull We still need to do our parthellip

Accessibility requirements

bull Add Alternative Text for graphics and video

bull Add table captions and summaries

bull Avoid creating links that open in new windows

Accessibility can also refer to bandwidth restrictions or availability of customer service

httpwwwwebdesignerdepotcom20090610-tips-to-create-a-more-usable-web

Other Mobile Tips bull Progressive information

disclosure

Single source management

bull Incorporate Collapsible text

Other Mobile Tips bull Be creative with inline links

bull Donrsquot place links too close together

Single source management

bull Display some links as buttons in Mobile outputs

bull Use conditions andor variables

Wrap-up

Remember bull There are many options for the ldquoMobile

Experiencerdquo

bull It is possible to single-source successfully to many devices mdash as well as desktops

ReferencesFur ther Reading Ten Best Practices for Your Mobile Website httpsocialmediabiz2012053110-best-practices-for-your-mobile-website

Ten Mobile Site Best Practices httpgooglemobileadsblogspotcom201111gomo-ten-mobile-site-best-practiceshtml

Touch Gesture Reference Guide by Craig Villamor Dan Willis and Luke Wroblewski httpwwwlukewcomffentryasp1071

Mobile Help Best Practices httpourcomponentonecom20120124mobile-help-best-practices-part-1

ldquoMobilizing Your Contentrdquo by Nicky Bleiel tcworld magazine Feb 2013

Slides mdash Best Practices for Mobile Outputs tekom 2012 httpconferencestekomdefileadmintx_docconslides170_Best_Practices_for_Mobile_Outputspdf

Progressive Disclosure on Wikipedia httpenwikipediaorgwikiProgressive_disclosure

How Many Formats Do I Need for HTML5 Video httpblogzencodercom20101006how-many-formats-do-i-need-for-html5-video

ReferencesFur ther Reading Image Format Considerations httpwindowsphoneinteroperabilitybridgescomarticleschapter-5-image-format-considerations-in-migration-of-iphone-applications-to-windows-phone-7

User Interface Guidelines for Mobile and Tablet Devices httpwwwsimonwhatleycoukuser-interface-guidelines-for-mobile-and-tablet-devices

Carroll John M The Nurnberg Funnel Designing Minimalist Instruction for Practical Computer Skill MIT Press 1990

Welinske Joe Developing User Assistance for Mobile Apps WritersUA 2011

STC Intercom Magazine November 2011 issue Tech Comm on the Move Mobile Communication Technologies and Strategies httpintercomstcorgmagazinenovember-2011

W3C Mobile Web Best Practices httpwwww3orgTRmobile-bp httpwwww3orgTRmobile-bpbpgroupplayout

How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices httpwwwuxmatterscommtarchives201302how-do-users-really-hold-mobile-devicesphp

Handy Stuff

List of emulators

ndash httpwwwmobilexwebcomemulators

W3C mobileOK Checker

ndash httpvalidatorw3orgmobile

Resize My Browser

ndash httpwwwresizemybrowsercom

Questions

Contact information

Nicky Bleiel ComponentOne

Pittsburgh PA

nickybcomponentonecom

wwwnickybleielcom

wwwdoctohelpcom

nickybleiel

Practical Tips for Single Sourcing to Mobile amp EPUB

Nicky Bleiel ComponentOne Doc-To-Help

Rochester Chapter