The Society for Technical Communication is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication. It is the largest organization of its type in the world. Its 25,000 members include technical writers and editors, content developers, documentation specialists, technical illustrators, instructional designers, academics, information architects, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, Web designers and developers, and translators - anyone whose work makes technical information available to those who need it.

The STC Toronto Chapter was founded in 1959 (then the Society of Technical Writers) and is the largest chapter in Canada.

About this Newsletter:

Web Content: Connecting with Customers
Part I of III
by Gauri Ahuja

In the last few years, corporate web sites have evolved into the preferred communication medium for organizations. This has lead to a re-definition of our role of technical communicators, as our skills are of particular relevance to these new corporate and e-commerce web sites. Over the next three months, we will look at how our skills can help companies develop superior web content and meet customer expectations.

Creating a web site requires equal focus on technology and content. Problems inevitably arise when companies focus solely on technology - and the content is left in the hands of their IT staff. Creating web content requires people who excel at communicating with customers – people who write for a profession. Organizations that do not understand how to publish content properly cannot meet customer expectations.

Customers have very basic requirements of a web site. In this issue, we look at two of the requirements and the contributions a professional writer can make to meet these requirements:

What a Customer Wants #1:
Intuitive Navigation

Customers want to find information quickly and easily. Without proper structure and navigation, content published on a web site is useless. With multiple web sites competing for the customer’s precious time, companies cannot afford to dissatisfy customers.

To design a good navigation index, organizations need to think like the customer. Most customers visit a web site hoping they can quickly gather content on a specific subject. It is important to properly classify information so that when customers search for a term, all the related information is easily accessible. A structured hierarchy provides customers with the right context for the information. At all times, customers should be aware of where they are in the virtual corporate space, where they can go, and how they can get there.

How a Writer can help

Although the creation of a navigation menu, a search engine or a hyperlink is an IT task, the underlying content strategy is not. A plan for how a web site will respond to customer information needs is a task for information architects and professional indexers – they are trained to organize content for easy navigation. Information designers can structure content into logical hierarchical levels and link information at different levels of the web site. They can also provide short informative names for sections of the web site.

Customers should have a single consistent interface to access structured content. Many organizations do not focus adequately on planning the visual part of their web site; instead their sites go overboard in the use of graphics and technology. Interface designers can help to enhance structured content with an intuitive interface. They can ensure that the choice of fonts, graphics and colors complements the content to produce an easily navigable web site.

What a Customer Wants #2:
Perceptible Knowledge

Most customers visit a web site looking for information that they can use in real-life scenarios. They want succinct information that will help them make better decisions. Customers want less, but relevant information.

Web sites cater to multiple audiences, ranging from the business user to the technical specialist, all looking for their personal solution. The key is to deliver content in the best way to the many audiences that need it. A simple product overview might suffice for one customer, but another customer might want to know all the associated complexity. It’s all about providing the right content to the right people.

Delivering quality content is about knowing your customers, about filtering information that is important to them, and presenting that information the way they like it. It is about the inventive delivery of simple information as a customer solution.

How a Writer can help

Creating useful content requires collaboration between multiple contributors: writers, editors and subject experts. Content created by subject experts is often too technical for customers to understand. Based on the audience, professional writers can work closely with subject experts to define what information goes into a web site. Writers can also gather the required information from internal and external sources, including subject experts and existing material. Professional writers are proficient at creating audience-based text and can convey complex information as a simple customer solution. They can deliver customer solutions in the form of product comparisons, FAQs and case studies.

Quality content is the outcome of a well-defined editorial process combined with creativity. Professional writers can create persuasive content that appeals to customers, thereby meeting the marketing objectives of organizations as well.

In the next issue, we will continue to explore customer requirements and ways in which we can help.

Gauri Ahuja, currently a member of the STC Silicon Valley chapter, is working as a technical writer for TeleSynergy Research. She will be relocating to Toronto soon and looks forward to being an active member of the STC Toronto chapter.

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