Getting real: Electronic Documents in the Field

© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.

Getting Real: Electronic Documents in the Field

Joe Gollner | Director - Gnostyx Research |Twitter @joegollner | www.gnostyx.com | [email protected] Hoffmann | Adobe Product Evangelist | Twitter @maxwellhoffmann |

[email protected]

© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

About Adobe

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74 Offices in 43 Countries

Corporate Headquarters inSan Jose, California

Founded in December 1982

$4.2 billion in revenue in FY2011

More than 10,000 employees

Adobe donates a minimum of 1%of net income to philanthropy

We simplify complicated, inefficient, and expensive workflows.We enable more engaging, compelling content.We drive greater return from digital media and marketing investments.


About Maxwell Hoffmann

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Maxwell Hoffmann Product Evangelist, Tech Comm Suite

Former Product Manager and Sales Training Directorfor Frame Technology

15 years in translation industry, working on “whatever documents walked through the door”

Trained over 1,200 people in hands-on, scalable publishing solutions


About Joe Gollner

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Joe Gollner is the Director of Gnostyx Research. He has been implementing large-scale standards-based content management systems for over twenty years. His role has typically been that of the enterprise content strategist and senior project manager. He now provides objective support to organizations as they venture into projects that will modernize how they create, manage, publish and evolve their content assets.Gnostyx Research is an independent consultancy that helps organizations to make good choices early in their content management projects. To support this mandate, Gnostyx Research is developing resources that can be used to accelerate projects and improve investment success rates. These resources include training materials, implementation methodologies, test suites and design tools.


Topics

Case Study: A Digital Retreat from the Field

Computers in the Field

Paper in the Field

eBooks in the Field

Technical Information & eBooks

XML

Illustrations

Parts Lists

Future Directions

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True Story: A Digital Retreat from the Field

Documentation modernization project

Military equipment

Adopted XML for multi-channel delivery

Decided to only implement electronic maintenance aid

Equipment deployed to Afghanistan

Emergency project to get paper manuals for use in harsh field conditions

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Challenges Surrounding Computers in the Field

Heavy

Short battery life

Never robust enough

Expensive

Never as usable as hoped

Frequently dependent on continuousconnection or large data refreshes

Displays not usable in bright light

Displays destroy night vision in darkness

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True Story: Command Post & Computers on Bottom of a Lake

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Challenges Surrounding Paper in the Field

Heavy and bulky

Difficult to update

Frequently out-of-date

High rates of error in update insertion

Often awkward to use in field conditions

Wind & rain

Traversing cross-references requires multiple manuals to be open

Advantages

Incredibly robust

No power requirements

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True Story: NORAD Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line Maintenance

Complex Radar Equipment

Extremely remote locations

Maintenance crews dispatchedby helicopter

with paper reference libraries!

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Practical Solution: eBooks for the Field

eBook Readers

Lightweight

Long battery life

Simple operation

No light emissions

Extremely low cost

Effectively disposable

eBooks

Portable across multiple devices

Provides redundancy

Backup copy on your phone

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Considerations: Technical eBooks & XML

Goal: Generate highly usable reference library

Provide Library Table of Contents

Make it easy to select appropriate equipment configuration

Accessing equipment-specific eBooks

Requires no advanced behaviour from eReader

Provide specialist Tables of Contents

Illustrations

Tables

Error Codes

Common Problems

Intelligent source content produces simplified information products

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Considerations: Technical eBooks & Illustrations

Vector line art illustrations

Can be highly effective for e-Ink displays

Well suited to step by step illustration

Can be constructed by photo-tracing

Can be constructed from source CAD data

Can be rendered as reader friendly images

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Considerations: Technical eBooks & Parts Lists

Integration of e-Ink with touch

Enables interactive Parts Lists

Zoom-in on part

Select part

Call-up part information

Part stock number

Attaching parts

Perform actions

Explode sub-components

View disassembly / assembly

Order replacement part

Record part replacement

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Future Directions: Technical eBooks in your Pocket

Convergence in technologies

Uniting the benefits of:

Interactive computer applications

Paper manuals

e-Ink eReaders

Several considerations will persist:

Intelligent source content will be essential for building all the necessaryperspectives

Topic orientation & text minimalismwill grow in importance

Role of line art with some interactivitywill continue to grow in importance

Voice control & text to voice will becomemore widespread (hands-free operation)

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Upcoming Adobe TechComm Webinars

Char James-Tanny

Part II: Creating an Accessible Layout – Tips to make documents more accessible (structure, colors, fonts, more) (17 July, 10-11 AM PST)

Part III: Developing Accessible Content – Tips on grammar, paragraph, and sentence length, alternate text, and more (31 July, 10-11 AM PST)

Future of TechComm series: Designing technical documentation for tablets26 June, Ellis Pratt, Cherryleaf

Content Scenarios for Exploring New Information Products, 27 June, Joe Gollner

Find Out How to Write XSLT Statements for XML to XML Transformations in a 5-part eSeminars Series, 28 June to 19 July, Tom Aldous

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Questions and Answers

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Contact Information

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InformationJoe GollnerGnostyx Research IncDirector

Blog http://www.gollner.caTwitter http://twitter.com/joegollnerEmail [email protected] http://www.gnostyx.com

Maxwell HoffmannAdobe Systems, Inc.Product Evangelist

Blog blogs.adobe.com/techcomm Blog blogs.adobe.com/mbhoffmann Twitter twitter.com/maxwellhoffmann

Email [email protected] Web www.adobe.comLinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellhoffmannFacebook As Maxwell HoffmannFacebook As Adobe Technical Communication Professionals Group

Previously recorded eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/qo3pzc

Calendar of upcoming eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/xdzOYa

http://www.gollner.ca/

http://www.gollner.ca/

http://twitter.com/joegollner

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.gnostyx.com/
