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Case Study: Senior Tech Writer Draws Prizes and Praise for Manuals Created with Information Mapping

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September 2008	www.infomap.com	Vol. 16, No. 3

Case Study: Senior Tech Writer Draws Prizes and Praise for Manuals Created with Information Mapping

By Susan Roswit, Contributing Writer

The list of publication awards just keeps growing for Senior Technical Writer Richard B. Adams of Transition Networks, Inc.

His latest? Information Mapping’s annual IMAP award that he received last year for a 90-page user manual in the Best Policy or Procedure category. His secret formula for success? Skillful use of the Information Mapping method to create his documentation.

Introduced to Information Mapping’s structured writing method 12 years ago in the three-day workshop, Developing Procedures, Policies, and Documentation, Richard has been both user and advocate of the Method ever since. At Aetrium, Datalink, and now Transition Networks in Minneapolis, Richard has written and revised many manuals and technology papers using the Information Mapping method, some of which have won awards from STC (the Society of Technical Communication), Bitpipe.com, and APEX (Awards for Publication Excellence).

Although technical accuracy is paramount, good page design is extremely important in technical documentation, according to Richard, who maintains that a visually attractive manual is a major factor in its usability. “First, you have to engage your readers,” he says. “You have to get them to want to open and use the manual. You also have to make it easy for people to find the information they are seeking.”

Ideal for both writers and readers
Information Mapping allows you to accomplish both of those objectives, Richard explains. “Information Mapping supports ‘structured writing,’ and structured writing is ideal for both the technical writer and the reader. As a writer, it helps me organize my content, be consistent, and focus on what is most critical for users to know. For my readers, Information Mapping provides a format that is visually appealing and easy to read and follow.”

Richard’s insistence on good page design stems partly from his interest in—and study of—human factors, which bases design on how the design affects the user. Whenever possible, Richard selects the optimum layout, colors, fonts, and graphics, and incorporates navigational features that will both engage his readers and assist them in finding information quickly.

Richard has used the Method for other types of writing as well. He and former co-workers authored two white papers that far exceeded the rule-of-thumb limit of 8-12 pages. The white papers were 40-50 pages long. “Using Information Mapping, we created a clean, clear structure that was inviting to read, so length wasn’t a hindrance,” he says. The lengthy white papers snagged prizes as well.

At Electro-Sensors: 50% fewer calls for help
At Electro-Sensors, a client of Richard’s, he was tasked with producing an operations and installation manual for a programmable ratemeter for industrial machinery. “The customers were having trouble programming the device, and customer support was flooded with calls,” he remembers. “The manual I produced using Information Mapping cut the number of calls in half and significantly decreased the duration of the calls.” Although Richard can’t attribute the results exclusively to Information Mapping, he says the Method helped him create a well-designed, easily navigable, and accessible guide for customers.

At Transition Networks: a technical manual overhaul
As sole technical writer at Transition Networks, a networking connectivity solutions company, Richard has the latitude to make decisions about the format of new product manuals he produces. Except for smaller, legacy documents that have to be maintained and updated in QuarkXPress^®, he frequently uses Information Mapping to produce his documentation.

His IMAP award was for a manual he wrote to accompany a product from an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). The product was a device server, which remotely controls, diagnoses, and troubleshoots equipment over a network. “My product manager came to me with the device and the original manual from the OEM,” he recalls. “It was clear to us that the manual was inadequate in terms of setup and operating procedures. Plus, it was barely usable. It had no structure; it was simply walls of words on pages.”

Working with the technical team to reverse engineer the device server, Richard carefully documented how the product worked. Then, using Information Mapping, he did a complete overhaul of the existing manual. The result was a superbly organized manual with clearly written procedures, illustrations, and screenshots, and, to further help guide readers, clear, concise labels and a comprehensive table of contents and index.

Richard, who also runs his own technology and business writing company, R.M.S. Business Services of Minneapolis, spreads the word about Information Mapping to his customers as well as at professional conferences. “Information Mapping has helped refine my writing style and enabled me to produce visually appealing manuals; it has had a significant impact on my career as a technical writer. I get feedback all the time about the manuals, how easy they are to use, how quickly people can find information, and how good they look.”

Richard Adams won the 2007 IMAP Award for “Best Policy or Procedure.” We congratulate Richard and look forward to hearing from him about future successes (and awards!).

Copyright, Trademark, and Other Information

Published by Information Mapping, Inc.
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Information Mapping® and Formatting Solutions® are registered trademarks, and the Method™ is a trademark, of Information Mapping, Inc.
© Copyright September 2008. All rights reserved.

The contents of this message may contain personal views, which are not the views of Information Mapping, Inc. unless specifically stated. In compliance with Public Law No. 108-187 effective January 1, 2004.