Best Practices for your first draft of a document

If you are a Technical Writer and have just completed creating a document from scratch, then read on.

Always complete this checklist before submitting any document as your first draft.

1. Spelling and grammar: Run it through a spell-check, check for punctuation, Avoid using passive voice unless it is unavoidable. Make sure that the word processor you are using is set by default to the Client language, US English or UK English for example.

2. Clarity: Avoid using ambiguous words and phrases.

3. Consistency: Use same type of words and sentence constructions for similar tasks. Check if all headings have a consistent structure. For example, if you are using –ing form be consistent in its use.

4.Completeness: Check if all links, cross-references, etc are working. TOC is updated, all sections are completed, etc. Some tools allow you to mark the completeness of a topic. Use this feature to effectively manage completeness of topics.

5. Conciseness: use small and shorter words and phrases instead of long ones.

6. Organization: Organize your sections, subsections, topics, and subtopics carefully. Spend some quality time, creating and editing the first TOC you come up with. Remember, the bigger picture and its clarity adds to the logical flow of a reader.

7. Accuracy: Run the application or the software reading your document. Make sure there are no gaps. Get the doc reviewed by Testing/Functional/Subject Matter Experts for functionality and conceptual accuracy. Always remember you can only bring as much clarity to the document as your own understanding of the software. It is essential that you thoroughly understand the software to present it to the user in the simplest way.

8. Screenshots: If you have used screenshots, check all screenshots to make sure that the right screenshots are embedded in right places.

9. Document Properties: Check इफ Headers and Footers, Page numbers, document properties, Page Properties, etc are done well. This is very important, because the users should not have trouble reading your help in any format they like. एक्साम्प्ले: online, print, etc.

10। Finally, go through the whole document once looking carefully at the structure to rule out any extra page breaks, line breaks, formatting issues, etc। This saves paper when printed, and will also make the document ready for conversion into other formats.

These steps are not in any logical order but sooner than later you will realize that all these steps are mandatory। I am sure you can come with the order that suits you best when you run several documents through this list।

The lesser the users seek help, the more the product’s success. It is, therefore, in our hands to make these few visits of users more fulfilling. Let us not distract the users with flowery language and excess formatting.

Mobile phones and what they bring to you!

Mobile phone usage is becoming increasingly painstaking. Wonder what the cell phone manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and others concentrate on. If bringing a new model every month is the only concern then they are leaving the users in the dark.

Some of the problem we are facing as users are as follows

1. Batteries almost always have lower life than guaranteed. If you are going to blame it on me saying lack of awareness of usage, than I will say come up with better solutions. Batteries and battery chargers are a problem. If a battery goes down completely, you cannot afford an authentic new battery as it cost as much as a new cell phone. The same is the case with a charger.
2. For heavens sake can you device ways of getting rid of the problem of having to remember that I have to keep charging this phone. Can you make them more intelligent so that they can tell me when they are completely charged? Can you get them to disconnect from the charger when the piece is completely charged.
3. Too many devices in a single phone never work properly. You don’t have to pack the whole world into my phone. I don’t want it. Something or the other is always getting stuck if you do this. If nothing, the batter goes down faster when I use these and again I have to charge it.
4. I cannot figure out the Office mode idea in a mobile. If you expect me to remember to switch between the normal mode and office mode after eight hours today and then tomorrow and then for the rest of my life every day then don’t you think I have better things to do than this. May I just have this automated please; it has bugged me for quite a while now.
5. Why are you making the phone so small that I cant even trust it in my pocket. How do you expect me to hold it in one hand and then also type an sms. Where are the keys to type? Why are you giving me a stick to type, you mean I should use both my hands every time I use this mobile phone?
6. And then Help, Help, Help, why can’t you provide some help in the mobile phone itself. Do you expect me to go home and read my manual if I get stuck when using the phone in office?
7. Why don’t you run an automatic, service-provider-independent toll-free contact number on this mobile to the manufacturer customer care? I want to call you and give you some feedback on improving my phone.
8. My dear manufacturer, please do not make the phone so rigid that I buy it once and then I deal with what I get for life। Make it more flexible, give me a chance to upgrade the functions in my phone without having to buy a new piece. Not everyone has the money to buy a new version of your phone every time you release one. Otherwise, take my phone back and give me a new one for a few bucks more with every release, no questions asked from me about what condition my phone is in.

I loved my phone when it first came into being. Today I still probably love my phone but only temporarily.

Dealing with increasing traffic conditions in cities in India

Considering some of the growing cities in India such as Hyderabad and Bangalore are struggling to cope with the increasing traffic, I was wondering why not I write some traffic tips from my own experience of years of local travel in the cities.

Many city roads (both arterial and inside roads) have not been planned for too far into the future. This is partly because we had no idea cities would grow at this rate. No matter how much the traffic cops try to ease the traffic, it is we the daily commuters who need to co-operate to make the situation better.

I would like to point to some general scenarios that I observed.

When two big vehicles run parallel to each other for some time they block all the traffic behind them. The ideal thing is to have these big vehicles such as buses; lorries, vans, etc move only one behind the other rather than one next to the other.

It helps a great deal if people follow traffic rules. Some examples are to overtake only from the right side, to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, to indicate that you are taking a turn, to stop the vehicle well before the zebra crossing and not right on it and so on.

It is better also to maintain good distance for each other when waiting for the signal to go. If you do not do this, you are unable to move freely when the signal goes off.

Some really good to have things are, signals that function properly, police that is really alert and does not spare any traffic rule violators, imagine how nice it would be if we implemented lane system in India.

Indian roads are no longer safe for pedestrians; roads do not have good and wide enough footpath or walkways anymore। The existing walkways are being demolished for widening of road. There is no place for pedestrians to cross to the other side of the road either. Zebra crossing in many places particularly in cities like Hyderabad have little meaning.

In a city like Hyderabad, it is really unfortunate that many commuters are absolutely careless. They have no awareness of traffic rules. In Hyderabad, the general public is also very self-centered. No one is bothered when a person is breaking a traffic rule. Traffic police teams should be really very powerful. General public and commuters must respect them and follow rules for their own safety and for the safety of others.

Technical Writing: Where do you draw the line?

To submit your search, click the Search button.

Click File > Save As

These are plain steps for some procedure or the other.

These constitute the first part. The meaning derived from these few words arranged into a sentence will bring the user from one place to another on the application.

You place a question mark next to a field on the user interface. User gets stuck there, clicks the question mark and knows instantly how to proceed. Place a question mark, or choose to write an instruction right there on the screen.

You are leaving some signboards here and there. This constitutes the second part.

I am not done with this yet.

You now want the users to know everything about the product. Knowing how way leads on to way and that the user may never come back to read the entire help, it becomes really essential for you to package it for the user. So you place related topics links. When a user walks your way, you want to know if the user had a good time walking your way or not.

You are basically compiling your complete Help into one entity with a lot of gimmicks in it. This you want to present to the user somewhere in the product, again with a lot of gimmicks.

You are giving the user a roadmap.

This constitutes the third important part.

Even with all these with you, I am sure you will agree with me that you asked your way around in a new place you visited. You don’t know the person but the person, being a local, is likely to know the place best, so you don’t mind asking.

So there are support teams the user approaches when there is a need to ask. This constitutes another important step.

Now let me come to my questions.

I may be good at only one of the above. I may not have any say over many of the other things though I have a feeling that I can understand the user’s needs better than many others. So where do I fit in?

What if I am in a small firm where I am the king?

What if I am in a big firm where there is a separate department for one who thinks, one who types something on the keyboard, one who clicks on the mouse and one who sees the display on the computer?

And going back to the allegory, which is more important?

• The road
• The signboard
• The roadmap
• The local chap

I love music! Really, I mean it!

What do we mean when we say we love music? Its one things to just sit back and enjoy listening, its quite another thing to play. Its one thing to play, its quite another to compose.

I met a noted smalltime band guitarist once and had a long chat with him. He also happens to be the composer for the band. He said music is nothing but mathematics and physics.

Frequencies match to bring instruments in tune. Meticulous calculations of timing and rhythm bring out strings of melodies. I definitely admit that to be a composer you have to be good with math.

Is that all? Wait a minute.

If you want to sing to perform, you need years of practice. If you want to play an instrument, ditto.

If you want to compose, you need much more than just practice. You need to know or be aware of a few genres, need to be a singer or a player of an instrument for some time.

Do you know some instruments go well with others. If this never occurred to you, then try paying attention to what you listen from now. See which instruments are being played together. Which are following each other and so on. Now, you are at the other end of this whole thing.

If you want to be a composer, have you ever seen a music studio live? Just spend a few days in a studio, sit through a complete composition of a song or a jingle.

Oh, there’s is more to it than just passion.

If you are ready to go all the way it will take a few years for you. Get into the business and invest your time and money.

If you do not have the time or the money, music is still yours!

We all enjoy listening to music, don’t we?