Re: Indexes and PDF Files

[PRASANNA PRABHU <prasanna_prabhu01012003 -at- yahoo -dot- co -dot- in>]

Hi Nick,

I have a strong suspicion that the sampling methodology used for your user surveys did not accomodate all kinds of users. Surveys can throw up highly skewed results depending on the sampling methodology, sample size, and questions posed in the survey questionnaire. 

Also, the inclusion or exclusion of an index in the manual will depend on the content in the manual. If the various key words of the product/service appear in the topic headings, you would not need an index. Such manuals have very little text content in the pages; they have more illustrations and lists - something like an instructions manual...Your manuals may be of this type. Hence the results of your user survey show that indexes are not required. 
 
Regards,

Prasanna M. Prabhu
Technical Lead
Citec Engineering and Information India
+919886754228



----- Original Message ----
From: Jay Maechtlen <techwriter -at- covad -dot- net>
To: "Klasovsky, Nick" <nklasovsky -at- nordson -dot- com>
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Wednesday, 28 February, 2007 1:11:04 PM
Subject: Re: Indexes and PDF Files


Klasovsky, Nick wrote:
> Nobody addressing this subject has mentioned PDF bookmarks. 
>
> We do not include indexes in our equipment manuals, only tables of
> contents, because our user surveys have showed us that most of our users
> don't know what an index is much less how to use it. Most don't even use
> the table of contents, just page-flip until they find what they want.
>
> We publish our printed equipment manuals on the internet as PDF files,
> and we bookmark each and every one. We set the file to open with
> bookmarks displayed. Our users use the bookmarks to jump to the topics
> they need. The primary bookmarks are the topic headings, and by manually
> adding bookmarks as needed we can make the bookmarks serve the same
> purpose as indexes.
>   
dang- someone with a clue!
very good...

Jay
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