Uploaded byRaghuram Pandurangan
Why Help Authoring Tools are Important
Authoring apps are important for technical writers for three main reasons: they allow for content to be more usable, navigable, and reusable. Authoring apps provide single sourcing capabilities which allow content to be authored once and reused across multiple formats. They also enable features like content reuse, presentation customization, and multimedia inclusion that improve the user experience of technical documentation.
![Picture Archival and Communication System [PACS] - Overview](https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/picturearchivalandcommunicationsystem-overview-140111015852-phpapp01-thumbnail.jpg?width=640&height=640&fit=bounds)
Why Help Authoring Tools are Important
- 1. WHY AUTHORING APPS AREIMPORTANT FOR A TECHNICAL WRITER?
- 2. About me • 19+Years of experience in Technical Writing • Worked in the following Industries: • Network Management • Healthcare • Construction • Working as Doc. Chapter Lead at Causeway • Serving as VP of STC India since 2019
- 3.
- 5. Courtesy: document360.io • Usable •Navigable • Content Reuse • Presentation
- 6.
- 7. Help Authoring Tools- Cloud
- 8.
- 9. Single Sourcing withRH - Demo Courtesy: Adobe.com Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REvPa0uF4Ng
- 10.
- 11. Example of anInstructional Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slh8D1phPfc
- 12.
- 13. Bibliography ◦ CONTENT -skilljar.com ◦ Help Authoring Tool Purpose & Growing Help graphics - document360.io ◦ HATs - https://www.atl10n.com/blog/multilingual-content-management ◦ HAT Logos from respective help authoring tool vendors
- 14.
Editor's Notes
- #4 We use smartphones and when we are not able understand any feature, we refer to help. This Help Documentation are created using HATs by the writers.
- #5 Content is everywhere. You can content in following forms for HATs: Product/Company Website Product Blogs Release Notes Help Documentation Installation Guides Etc.
- #6 The generated content must serve the following for the users or audience: Usable Easily Navigable Well Presented For the writers, the HATs must aid content reuse and create output with consistent layouts.
- #7 ? – HelpnDoc Fm- Adobe Framemaker RH- Adobe RoboHelp Encircled Leaf – Madcap Flare
- #9 Single Sourcing: Create multiple output with a single source Conditional tags or Tags helps writers apply them to relevant content and control the output. Especially, when you have single source with different content relevant for each customers or set of users.
- #11 Video Editing Tools for creating “How To Help Videos” or Instructional Videos: TechSmith SnagIT Video Editor – Simple Video Editing Camtasia – Advanced Editing and used even in Hollywood movies Adobe Captivate – Used to create eLearning generally, but can be used to create “How To Help Videos” or Instructional Videos:
- #13 After you are familiar with HATs or a become expertise in an HAT, grow your content. Also, you may automate the Document Development Lifecycle (DDLC) Workflows or Publishing.