The document discusses the evolving landscape of technical communication and the decline of traditional manuals in favor of more interactive and modern approaches, such as augmented reality. It emphasizes the need for technical communicators to adapt their skills to meet the changing expectations of users who prioritize usability and immediate access to information. The author highlights the shifting dynamics in the book publishing industry and urges for a revitalization of technical communication to make it more engaging.

1. The Future of
Technical Communication
scott abel * the content wrangler
Friday, February 5, 2010

2. control your future by
controlling your present
... or someone else will
Friday, February 5, 2010

3. for the most part,
these days are gone
... or should be
Friday, February 5, 2010

4. no one wants to read manuals,
nor search online help
Friday, February 5, 2010

5. if they can learn how to do
things on television then ...
Friday, February 5, 2010

6. it won’t be long until augmented
reality is an everyday part of
communication
Friday, February 5, 2010

7. how will we document this?
Friday, February 5, 2010

8. is this technical communication?
Friday, February 5, 2010

9. shouldn’t we show instead of tell?
Friday, February 5, 2010

10. can devices replace manuals?
Friday, February 5, 2010

11. no one cares who wrote it,
as long as it’s useful and correct
Friday, February 5, 2010

12. user experiences have changed,
users don’t care who helps them
Friday, February 5, 2010

13. Friday, February 5, 2010

14. Friday, February 5, 2010

15. users expect access to information
when, where, and how they desire
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16. are you ready?
chances are,
you’re not!
Friday, February 5, 2010

17. welcome to the library,
say goodbye to books
Friday, February 5, 2010

18. welcome to the library,
say hello to eBooks
Friday, February 5, 2010

19. the book publishing industry is
changing how they create, manage
and deliver books based on lessons
learned from the work done by
technical communication pros
Friday, February 5, 2010

20. the book publishing industry is
changing how they create, manage
and deliver books based on lessons
learned from the work done by
technical communication pros
Friday, February 5, 2010

21. we need to sex technical
communication up
Friday, February 5, 2010

22. boring is not sexy
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23. skills needed:
information visualization
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24. skills needed:
content
choreography
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25. skills needed:
document engineering
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26. skills needed:
content modularization
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27. skills needed:
content reuse
Friday, February 5, 2010

28. skills needed:
content markup
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29. skills needed:
content management
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30. skills needed:
community management
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31. skills needed:
mathematics
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32. skills needed:
experience design
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33. skills needed:
interaction design
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34. skills needed:
critical thinking
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35. skills needed:
psychic power detection
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36. tomorrow...
Friday, February 5, 2010

37. lessons they don’t < usually >
teach you in school
all rules are meant
to be broken
Friday, February 5, 2010

38. lessons they don’t < usually >
teach you in school
it’s about profit -
that’s it!
Friday, February 5, 2010

39. scott abel
twitter.com/scottabel
facebook.com/scottpatrickabel
linkedin.com/scottabel
email: scottabel@mac.com
website: www.thecontentwrangler.com
Friday, February 5, 2010