ACM 1995 SIGDOC Conference
Subject:
ACM 1995 SIGDOC Conference
From:
Mark Levinson <mark -at- SD -dot- CO -dot- IL>
Date:
Sun, 23 Jul 1995 14:46:29 IDT
Q. Anyone out there have details about the ACM SIGDOC
and/or Hypertext Conference for 1995?
A. Below.
Preliminary Program
(This program is also available in the World-Wide Web at URL
http://web.mit.edu/tps/www/NL/SIGDOC_WWW/sigdoc95.html)
ACM 1995 SIGDOC Conference
EMERGING FROM CHAOS
Solutions for the Growing Complexity of Our Jobs
October 1-4, 1995
Hyatt Regency
Savannah, Georgia
SIGDOC '95 is a platform for us as documentation specialists to share
solutions that meet the daily challenges we face in our jobs. As our experience
and expertise grow, so too does the complexity of our challenges. We are no
longer asked to provide a piece of the puzzle, but the complete solution.
* Printed or online? We now deliver information through inter-active
software, graphics, hypertext, video, and sound running on multiple
platforms.
* Online help? Help systems now mix full text searches, performance
enhancement, and online selective viewing.
The Special Interest Group for Documentation (SIGDOC) is a society of
communication professionals facing the challenge of providing complete
communications solutions.
SIGDOC members are from all technical and scientific disciplines of the
computing community that uses computers to create documentation in many styles
and mediums. Possibly the greatest resource for SIGDOC members is the contact
with senior professions in many disciplines of documentation.
This conference is uniquely intimate and affordable. It offers papers, panels,
and tutorials containing new information for the experienced professional.
This year's keynote speaker is Jakob Nielsen. SIGDOC also sponsors annual
awards for individual (Rigo) and organizational (Diana) contributions to
computer documentation. This year's Rigo award winner is Ginny Redish. The
Diana award winners are the Communications Design Center (CDC), Tom Duffy,
Dick Hayes, Karen Schriver, and Erwin Steinberg.
SIGDOC is a special interest group of ACM. SIGDOC and ACM memberships provide
you with discounts on ACM publications and activities. You can also obtain
proceedings of conferences, voting member privileges, and membership
information from the ACM Member Service Department at 212-626-0500, FAX
212-944-1318, or e-mail <acmhelp -at- acm -dot- org>
=============================================================
Welcome to Savannah
The conference site is located in Savannah's Historic District on the Riverfront
Plaza, a nine-block pedestrian concourse encompassing three mooring facilities
and six parks. This area is peppered with two dozen squares embellished by
fountains and grand monuments, banks of azaleas and camellias, live oaks and
magnolias veiled in Spanish moss. Architectural and antique buffs will find
ample points of interest: Shops will tempt you to take home a ship's lantern, a
watercolor seascape, pottery, shell jewelry, or a pound of fudge. The
riverfront is also alive with seafood restaurants and jovial taverns.
Where To Stay
The SIGDOC '95 conference takes place at the Hyatt Regency Savannah, 2 West Bay
Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401, USA.
Tel. 912-238-1234, FAX 912-944-3673
Other hotels within walking distance of the conference are:
Days Inn, 201 West Bay Street. 912-236-4440
Best Western Riverfront, 412 West Bay Street, 912-233-1011
Radisson Plaza, 100 General McIntosh Blvd.,912 233-7722
For information on Savannah's historic inns, call 1-800-444-2427.
Getting There
By Air: Most major domestic airlines serve Savannah International Airport. Car
rental, limousine, and taxi services are available at the terminal.
By Car: Savannah is located near Georgia's Atlantic coast. From I-95, take I-16
east to the end, then follow Montgomery Street east to the Historic District.
By Train: Savannah is a regular Amtrack stop.
---------------------------------------------------
Jewish High Holiday Information
For those of you observing Yom Kippur, Savannah has two synagogues. If you wish
to attend the Reform Synagogue, please call in advance for reservations.
Reform Conservative
Congregation Mickve Israel Congregation Agudah Achim
20 Gordon Street East 9 Lee Blvd
Savannah, GA 31401 Savannah, GA 31405-5707
912-233-1547 912-352-4737
---------------------------------------------------
Tours
Several tours are scheduled especially for SIGDOC '95 attendees and their
companions. You may reserve your seat for any or all of these when you
register for the conference.
Pub Tour
Saturday Evening,
8 p.m. - 10 p.m.
also offered Sunday Evening. 8 p.m. - 10 p.m
If you arrive at the conference early, join us for a Pub Tour on Saturday or
Sunday evening. This walking tour features some of the city's oldest pubs,
including the Pirate's House, 1790, the Old Pink House, and the Six Pence.
During stops you may purchase refreshments while your tour guide entertains you
with history and stories.
Ticket required, $18.00
---------------------------------------------------
Historic District Tour
Sunday Afternoon,
2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Depart the hotel for a tour of Savannah's nationally acclaimed historic
district. You'll see several of the famous squares, fine examples of
architecture, and learn the history of Georgia's colonial capital. Stops at
private gardens are included, as well as a tour of a private home with
refreshments on the verandah.
Ticket required, $20.00
---------------------------------------------------
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Tour
Tuesday Evening,
8 p.m.-10 p.m.
This motorcoach tour takes you to locations described in John Berendt's 1994
best-seller Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Includes visits to
several private homes, slide show based on the true story, book signing and
entertainment by the real "Mandy," one of the main characters, and concludes
with music and a drink at Hard Hearted Hannah's.
Ticket required, $33.00
=============================================================
SIGDOC '95 Program
Registration: All day from October 1-3; October 4. from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Sunday, October 1
* Registration all day
* Tutorials
* Welcome Reception
The conference is organized around two streams.
Each time slot has a session A and a session B.
Stream A: Information at Your Finger Tips: Have We Reached the
Single Source Solution?
Stream B: People, Management, Contracting, and More
Monday, October 2
* Registration all day
* Sessions -- morning
* Luncheon (Rigo Award)
* Sessions -- afternoon
* Banquet -- Keynote Speaker, Jakob Nielsen
Tuesday, October 3
* Registration all day
* Sessions -- morning
* Luncheon (Diana Award)
* Sessions -- afternoon
Wednesday, October 4
* Registration 8 a.m - 9 a.m.
* Tutorials
=============================================================
TUTORIALS
Sunday, October 1, 1995</H2>
Contextual Inquiry: Grounding Your Design in Users'
Work
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Instructor
Alicia Flanders, Principal Usability Engineer, Digital Equipment Corporation
Currently a usability engineer, Alicia draws from previous experience as a user
information designer in describing techniques that ensure work usability.
Content
Participants learn the fundamental principles of contextual inquiry and how to
apply them effectively. Setting a focus, choosing a method, interviewing, and
analyzing data are specific skills participants practice. Examples and an
overview explicitly address integrating contextual inquiry techniques into the
development process.
Objective
This tutorial provides a foundation for conducting field research with customers
and incorporating the findings into product development. Participants evaluate
research approaches using a practical and inclusive framework and gain
experience applying specific contextual inquiry skills. Participants leave the
course ready to apply contextual inquiry methods to their work.
Who Should Attend
This tutorial benefits anyone seeking a better understanding of audiences and
their needs. It applies to anyone involved in the information communication
process, including (but not limited to) information designers, editors, and
graphic artists.
Format
The Contextual Inquiry course uses lectures, videotapes, and hands-on exercises.
------------------------------------------------------
Managing Without Traditional Structure or Boundaries
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Instructor
Joseph S. Rosenthal, Ed.D., Principal, DyAD Incorporated, Adjunct Associate
Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Healthcare Leadership, Emory
University School of Medicine
Michael A. Diamond, Ph.D., Principal, DyAD Incorporated Professor and Chair,
Department of Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia
Seth Allcorn, Ph.D., M.B.A., Principal, DyAD Incorporated
Content
How does a virtual community of employees manage work where traditional notions
of hierarchy, power, authority and accountability no longer apply? How will the
virtual workplace be integrated into an organizational structure where
traditional forms of hierarchy power and authority still exist?
This workshop addresses these questions by introducing principles of individual,
group, and organizational processes and providing models for those developing
and working in networked and virtual organizations. Diagnostic tools, team,
and organizational structure models are explored as vehicles for integrating
virtual organizations into the workplace
Objective
Participants explore the evolution of distributed networks toward the virtual
organization of team working relationships. They learn new conceptual tools
and practice the management of change. There is also in-depth exploration of
the meaning of new technologies that promise to revolutionize workplace
culture.
Who Should Attend
Executives, managers, and project leaders responsible for successfully preparing
the organization's response to new uses of information and network technology.
Individuals working in a team environment or as part of a team in a distributed
work environment are also welcome to attend.
Format
Mini-lecture, group discussions, business simulations, and team activities.
More Tutorials on Wednesday, October 4
------------------------------------------------------
MORE TUTORIALS
Wednesday, October 4
Models, Prototypes, and Evaluations for HCI Design: Making the Structured
Approach Practical
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Instructors
Cynthia Rainis, Senior Instructional Design Consultant, Digital Equipment
Corporation. Cynthia works in user requirements analysis, information and
media design and HCI competency development.
George Casaday, Principle Software Engineer, Digital Equipment Corporation.
George manages an internal training program in HCI design and works as an HCI
consultant on various projects.
Content
This intermediate-level tutorial assumes an existing understanding of the basics
of UI graphical design. It covers design decisions required from definition of
user requirements to graphical design. The emphasis is on how to use a range
of work products (for example, scenarios, work models, and paper prototypes),
and how to build a design rationale that convincingly links user requirements
with a software user interface in a complete design story. The tutorial is
concrete, hands-on, and aimed at giving participants practical
techniques they can use immediately.
Objective
1. Effectively participate in a UI graphical design effort by:
* Explaining seven intermediate design work products to clients
and/or co-workers
* Contributing to an HCI design effort by incorporating the work
products and associated design techniques
* Creating and evaluating the intermediate design work products at
a beginner level
2. Continue learning by:
* Leaving the tutorial with confidence that the intermediate work
products can be immediately used in practice
* Using the techniques as a learning and starting point for
independently expanding repertoires and expertise
Who Should Attend
Those involved in UI design (especially those contributing to UI design as part
of a team) who are looking for flexible tools and techniques to work together
and to be more systematic, productive, and influential in user interface
design.
It is a prerequisite that attendees be familiar with the basics of physical
screen layout.
Previous participants have a variety of backgrounds: programmers, software
designers, graphic designers, instructional designers, writers, and usability
specialists.
Format
Presentation and video examples in the morning, team exercises and group
discussion in the afternoon.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Determining User Needs on a Limited Budget and Tight Deadlines
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Instructor
Catherine Kincaid, Senior Writer/Course Developer, NOVA Corp.
Content
This workshop introduces the skill analysis, an instructional
design process for gathering information about users quickly. This process
delivers a profile of the skills required to be successful at a given
responsibility or the skills that a particular responsibility needs, including
task statements.
This tutorial will be of particular interest to those who are also involved with
delivering training material or courses, in addition to documentation products.
Objectives
At the end of the sessions participates will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose, use, and sequence of the process.
2. Identify the three components of the process.
3. Identify criteria for selecting people to be involved in the
process.
4. Produce a skills analysis chart for technical communicators.
Who Should Attend
Writers and course developers.
Format
Active participation, discussion, hands-on.
===========================================================
Sunday Evening Reception
Welcome to SIGDOC '95, meet the '95 executive committee, and the '96 conference
and program chairpersons.
===============================================================
Stream A: Information at Your Finger Tips: Have We Reached the Single Source
Solution?
Stream B: People, Management, Contracting, and More
-----------------------------------
Monday, October 2, 1995
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Session 1A -- Single Source
The VisualAge C++ for OS/2 User's Guide: A Multi-Writer, Single-Sourcing
Challenge
Michael Priestley, Information Developer, Laura Rintjema,
Information Developer, IBM Canada Limited
In response to customer concerns about scattered, hardcopy-only documentation,
Priestley and Rintjema developed a single user's guide for the entire product.
Coordinating work from eight authors at three sites, it allows documents to be
maintained in a single source for both online and hardcopy versions. The need
for maintainability and modularity is balanced with the competing need for a
document that is well-integrated and sophisticated in appearance, both online
and hardcopy.
Real Information, Virtual Documents
Stephen L. Harris, Ph.D., IBM
Corporation, James H. Ingram, Sykes Enterprises Incorporated
This paper discusses techniques of document element reuse and conditional
document processing that improve productivity and provide consistency for
libraries of publications for several product families. The documents in the
libraries are structured as virtual documents, that is. file structures
containing multiple conditional document images.
-------------------------------------
Session 2B -- Authoring Tools and Help for the Writer
Towards a New Generation of Authoring Tools
Rick Sobiesiak, Manager,
User Centered Solutions Design and Evaluation, IBM Toronto Laboratory
Authoring tools for developing user documentation are often designed with
professional authors in mind. However, commercial applications are often
documented by part-time authors who carry many other roles. This paper takes
the perspective of these part-time authors in articulating some key issues for
the next generation of authoring tools.
Son of CODEDOC (SIGDOC '92): CODEDOC Revisited: Integrating Information and
Applications for Product Support
Peter Sturgeon, Senior Information
Developer, Northern Telecom
Essentially, this paper discusses integrating information and applications into
one seamless support system which provides product support people and others
with access to the tools and information needed in their daily work. The goal
is to encapsulate an information environment that is optimized for a particular
group. The paper focuses on front-line support organizations but has
implications for all knowledge workers.
-----------------------------------------
10:30 a.m. to noon
Session 3A -- Information Access Online
Where Campus meets the Internet: A University Accessible Online
Documentation System
Susan Topol, Mark Smith, Suzanne Schlueberg,
Information Technology Division, University of Michigan
Essentially, this paper discusses integrating information and applications into
one seamless support system which provides product support people and others
with access to the tools and information needed in their daily work. The goal
is to encapsulate an information environment that is optimized for a particular
group. The paper focuses on front-line support organizations but has
implications for all knowledge workers.
Development of the AT&T PersonaLink Services On-line Documentation
System
Ron Enfield, AT&T Consumer Interactive Services
-------------------------------------------
Session 4B --Documentation Project Management
Documentation Project Management
Kathy Haramundanis, Digital Equipment Corporation
Technical communicators often encounter major project management issues that
are hard to resolve. This paper addresses some of these problems and offers
practical solutions. Case studies illustrate typical project management
problems and their solutions.
=======================================================================
Luncheon noon to 1:30 p.m. Rigo Award
Janice (Ginny) Redish is now an independent consultant helping companies solve
problems in technical communications and usability. From the late 1970's until
1992, Ginny directed the Document Design Center at the American Institutes for
Research (AIR) in Washington, DC, where she and her colleagues studied the
problems that people have with workplace documents and developed model print
and online documentation and procedures for usability testing. During the past
15 years, Ginny has helped many companies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and
Japan with workshops, documentation, and research, including American Airlines,
AT&T, Burlington Northern, DuPont, Hewlett-Packard, and GTE.
With Joseph Dumas of AIR, Ginny is co-author of A Practical Guide to Usability
Testing (Ablex, 1993). She also serves on the editorial board of three
journals and has published numerous papers and book chapters. Since 1993, with
funding from the Society for Technical Communication, Ginny and Judy Ramey of
the University of Washington have been conducting research on Measuring the
Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators. Ginny is a graduate of
Bryn Mawr College and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Harvard University.
=======================================================================
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Session 5A -- Multi-Platform Help
Crossing the Great Divide: Developing Information for Hardcopy and Online Help,
OS/2 and Windows, and Other Impossibilities
Michelle Corbin Nichols, Chuck Jaynes, Randy Eckhoff, Research Triangle Park,
IBM Corporation
When faced with porting information to multiple platforms, online help designers
must deal with issues ranging from designing online help for multiple
platforms, to the implementation details of working with multiple source files,
to dealing with resource constraints. Based on experience, a friendship
between technical writers and programmers is proposed to cross the great
divide of cross-platform online help development.
Producing Multi-Platform, Multilingual Help by Filtering Text Files Ann Lyons
When faced with porting information to multiple platforms, online help designers
must deal with issues ranging from designing online help for multiple
platforms, to the implementation details of working with multiple source files,
to dealing with resource constraints. Based on experience, a friendship
between technical writers and programmers is proposed to cross the great
divide of cross-platform online help development.
-----------------------------------------
Session 6B -- Bring Communicators and Developers Together and the Communicator's
Role in ISO 9000
Technical Communicators' Views on Usability and Collaboration with System
Developers: A Bicultural Interview Study
Par Carlshamre, Linkoping University, Joanna L. Tumminello, Writer-Editor,
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
For nearly a decade, communications professionals have proposed more
collaboration with system developers, partly to have an impact on the usability
of delivered software products. Research shows there are several obstacles to
such close collaborative development, including technical obstacles.
A small interview study, involving five technical communicators from the United
States and five from Sweden, investigated their experiences and preferences
concerning collaboration, usability issues, and documentation tools. The
results show differences and similarities between the cultures and a need for
tools that support collaborative user interface development.
Integration of Information Development with Product Development
Brian Larmour, Roy Maclean, Bell-Northern Research
This paper describes a product development process that integrates information
development, the roles of key participants in the process, and the
re-engineering of the existing product development process.
Implementing ISO 9000: The Role of the Technical Communicator
Katie Schuler, Technical Writer, ABB Systems Control Division - Automated
Distribution
This paper describes a product development process that integrates information
development, the roles of key participants in the process, and the
re-engineering of the existing product development process.
--------------------------------------------
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Session 7A -- Using the Internet with the World Wide Web
Using the Internet to Send and Receive Documents and Automate the Office
Julie Jensen, Gregg Woodfin, Internet Developers, Los Alamos National Laboratory
The original goal of the Chemical Science and Technology Division database was
to collect information about employee skills. It needed the information to
identify experts, list the Division's skills for proposals, and compile
publications for strategic planning. With over 1,300 people in numerous
buildings using various platforms (UNIX, PC, and Macintosh) and network
connections, collecting the information would be a difficult task. To
complicate things further, the same information was often available in
multiple formats. To accomplish its goal, the Division needed a user-friendly.
multi-platform system that was secure, expandable, searchable, and reliable.
Solution: The World Wide Web. After overcoming several obstacles (such as,
password security, text field limitations, employee confusion, and a basic
fear of computers). the Division discovered it could use the collected
information to automate several daily tasks, such as time sheets. The
Division's !
expanded its purpose to completing online forms. designing homepages for
employees, and conducting virtual meetings online
Publishing Online: A Commercial (Ad)Venture
Nancy Cooke, David
McAllister, North Carolina State University, C&M Online Media
Incorporated
The adventure is in creating something entirely new and providing solutions, at
least partially and provisionally. The authors are interested in improving the
publishing situation for writers, especially new ones and those whose books
have gone out of print prematurely. One of the goals of this test is to
discover what books Internet audience likes to read; Boson Books, a C&M
imprint, offers fiction, nonfiction, and drama, including screenplays.
The major aspects of the idea are positive:
* low-cost, quick distribution
* worldwide, constant product availability
* immediate exposure for authors, possibly leading to publication
in other media (such as print or film)
* allows use of value-added components (multimedia)
* multiple printing formats (large print, for example)
* availability of Mosaic and other Web readers allows for
attractive advertising and promotion, browsing as in a
traditional bookstore, and high usability
---------------------------------------
Session 8B -- People in Organizations
Drop of Pond Water: Managing the Parallel Virtual Organization Psychosocial and
Cultural Elements of Creating Transitional Space Within Hierarchical
Organizations Via the Development of INTRANET and Virtual Organization
Panel Moderator: Joseph S. Rosenthal, Ed.D., Principal, DyAD Incorporated,
Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Center for Healthcare
Leadership, Emory University School of Medicine
Panel: Michael A. Diamond, Ph.D., Principal, DyAD Incorporated Professor and
Chair, Department of Public Administration, University of Missouri-Columbia
Seth Allcorn, Ph.D., M.B.A. Principal, DyAD Incorporated
The panel explores the following questions:
1. How will the creation of INTRANET and parallel virtual organizations
be processed at an unconscious level by employees?
2. How will they affect the interpersonal and intergroup world of the
workplace?
3. How will the resulting parallel virtual organization culture
interact with an existing parallel hierarchical organization and its
culture?
The panel discussion explores the unconscious and social meaning of individual,
interpersonal, group, and organization responses to the development of parallel
virtual organizations.
Objective
The audience, moderator, and panel members explore the psychosocial and cultural
implications of creating parallel virtual organizations. The discussion
focuses on the integration of knowledge of unconscious individual,
interpersonal, group and organizational dynamics as they pertain to work,
working together and the creation of organizations -- hierarchial and virtual.
=====================================
Monday Evening, 7 p.m.
Banquet at The Savannah History Museum
This living history museum celebrates the founding of the colony of Georgia with
a series of exhibits and special collections. Arrive early to tour the museum
before a dinner featuring local and regional cuisine. Jakob Nielsen will
deliver the featured after-dinner address.
Designing for the WWW -- Jakob Nielsen
Jakob Nielsen is Distinguished Engineer for Strategic Technology at SunSoft (the
software planet of Sun Microsystems). He leads the user interface team for the
redesign of Sun's WWW pages and co-designed Sun's internal WWW pages (SunWeb).
He also works on the next generation of strongly object-oriented user
interfaces, the user interface for Sun's next generation of online
documentation, and on enhanced maturity levels for usability engineering
methodology. Nielsen coined the term "discount usability engineering" and has
invented several usability techniques for fast and cheap improvements to user
interfaces, including heuristic evaluation. He is the author of the
best-selling books Multimedia and Hypertext: The Internet and Beyond and
Usability Engineering (both AP Professional) and co-editor (with R. L. Mack)
of the definitive work Usability Inspection Methods (John Wiley & Sons).
Dr. Nielsen's earlier affiliations include Bellcore, the Technical University
of !
Denmark, and the IBM User Interface Institute at the T.J. Watson Research
Center.
Ticket required, $45.00. Includes shuttle between Hyatt Regency and History
Museum before and after the banquet, admission to museum exhibits, light
entertainment and meal.
=============================================================
Tuesday, October 3, 1995
8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Session 9A -- SGML
Creating Custom SGML DTDs for Documentation Projects
Bradley C. Watson, Research Scientist, OCLC Online Computer Library Center
Incorporated, Keith Shafer, Senior Research Scientist, OCLC Online Computer
Library Center Incorporated
This 30-minute presentation presents a case for creating cost-effective custom
DTDs for an organization. Non-experts in SGML can use tools that automatically
create DTDs from tagged text. This makes it practical and easy to create DTDs
without having to hire outside consultants or invest heavily to develop
internal SGML expertise.
Finding the Right DTD
Jo Anne Williams, Mary V. Gray, Greg Campbell, Leslie K. Glasser, Bowling
Green State University
There is information lacking in the application of SGML: users do not have a
single source to refer to when referencing DTDs. To address this, the
Scientific and Technical Writing program researched sources of DTDs and
created a resource list. The presentation features the results of the
program's research, public sources where DTD examples can be found. as well as
a brief description of SGML and its applications.
---------------------------------------------------
Session 10B -- Performance Support - Part 1
Performance Support: Integrated Documentation and Training
W. (Bill) Bezanson, Bell-Northern Research
Performance support is just-in-time documentation, training, and other forms of
support integrated with tools and processes to enhance on-the-job performance.
This presentation gives an overview of business problems addressed by
performance support methods. It also provides a survey of industry work on
performance support and a summary of how to justify moving toward a
performance support approach for product/process documentation and training.
Finally, there is a discussion of BNR's pilot project in performance support of
benefit to those seeking to implement such methods in their organization.
Hyperintelligence - a Total Work Support Tool
Hironao Ozu, Computer & Information Systems Laboratory, Mitsubishi
Hyperintelligence is a total work support system, not just for the office, but
also for the field, where procedural and data information are key factors for
efficiency. The system provides a means to store and reuse information:
procedures and transactions accumulate automatically in the system while it is
in use. Improvements are easily made to procedures or transactions separately
and stored in a database. This system also assists beginners. If a beginner
reuses data of someone more proficient, the beginner does the work from that
perspective.
---------------------------------------------------
10:30 a.m. to noon
Session 11A - Managing Hyperlink Complexity and a Large Information Database
Personalized Information Structures II: Hyperstructure Hotlists
Scott R. Tilley, Walter M. Lamia, Carnegie Mellon University
This paper describes the integration of a programmable reverse-engineering
environment with a World Wide Web browser to support "hyperstructure hotlists:"
an approach to managing link complexity, organizing conceptual themes, and
aiding Internet navigation through use of multiple virtual webs.
The Promises and Pitfalls of Delivering (But Not Authoring) a Large
Information Database
Christina L. Klein, Senior Information Specialist, Northern Telecom
This paper discusses a current solution and presents possible future solutions
for delivery of a large information database to customers, both paper-based
and online. The database discussed in the paper is authored by multiple
software developers and delivered to customers by an information specialist.
The source information is structured within FrameMaker MIF files and compiled
(restructured and reformatted) by a utility. The output document is a
FrameMaker book currently delivered on paper but destined for future online
use.
The paper also presents the delivery process for an information database and
related issues including:
* change of roles for developers and information specialists
* design, development, and test procedures for the document
compiler
* construction of customized templates for source and output
documents, including establishment and enforcement of syntax
rules in the source document
* identification and resolution of technical inaccuracies in the
data
* evolution and synchronization of templates for source and output
documents in response to the evolution of the information
database
* editorial responsibilities for source and output documents
---------------------------------------------------
Session 12B -- User interface designs
Creating an elegant, intuitive user interface
Mary Margaret Couse, Northern Telecom
This paper describes our experiences with doing usability testing of the UI and
online documentation right up front in the product development process for
Magellan ServiceView. We based the usabilty test on Sophie Kohn Kaminsky's
"Do-It-Yourself Usability Test" (see "Test Early, Test Often" in the SIGDOC
Conference Proceedings, Ottawa, October, 1992). The paper shows the benefits
we have seen, the testing methodology and results, and implications for the
profession of technical writing.
Is There a Homunculus in the Machine: How Anthropomorphic Should the Interface
Get?
R. John Brockmann, Associate Professor University of Delaware (Concentration in
Business and Technical Writing--English Department)
Recent interface designs such as Microsoft's BOB reintroduce the problem of the
antropomorphic computer. How antropomophic should the interface be? This paper
offers some perspectives from history on how to resolve this question,
including an exploration of how the first "computers" were not machines, but
positions held by WACs and WAVEs using numerical analyzers during WW II.
Perhaps Microsoft's interface would be better termed BETTY, not BOB.
=============================================================
Luncheon, noon to 2:00 p.m. Diana Award at
Il Pasticcio Restaurant
Communications Design Center (Cdc), Tom Duffy, Dick Hayes, Karen Schriver, And
Erwin Steinberg
The Communications Design Center was established in 1979 to solve communications
problems in business, industry, and professions. The goals of CDC are to:
* encourage interdisciplinary approaches to solving visual and
verbal communications problems
* promote interaction between researchers at Carnegie Mellon
interested in problems of communication
* provide resources and an organizational setting for research in
visual and verbal communication
* train professional writers, researchers, and teachers
* promote development of educational materials for communication
programs on and off the Carnegie Mellon campus
CDC has worked on projects for NASA Lewis Research Center, Allen-Bradley
Company, Sony, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Canon, IBM, Kingston, Siegal &
Gale (NY), National Reading Conference (NRC), Hacketts, Apple Computer, CMU's
Robotics Institute and Graduate School of Industrial Administration, DEC, U.S.
Army, Human Engineering Laboratory, and more.
=============================================================
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Session 13A -- Distributing Information
Webbed Documents
Andrew Surray, Senior Information Developer,
Northern Telecom Malcolm Graham, Director, WriteDoc
This presentation presents a prototype that exploits electronic connections,
using Netscape and Adobe Acrobat, for online delivery of documentation. It
addresses:
* the World Wide Web distribution of documents
* immediate access to the latest version of documents
* using a cross-platform, portable file format
* using HTML to create document navigation pages
* future developments for online delivery of documents
---------------------------------------------------
Session 14B -- Contracts
Contractor Management for the '90s and Beyond - The Kelton Method
Hugh J. Findlay, Manager of Emerging Technologies and On-site Client
Coordinator, The Kelton Group
This presentation offers a detailed description on managing technical
documentation contract writers in an off-site environment. Topics include the
roles and interaction of all players involved: client, vendor, contractor, and
the Kelton method's client coordinator. Real-life situations, and their proven
effectiveness for today and the future, are discussed. Though the
presentation's focus is the role of the client coordinator, comparisons and
contrasts are drawn between the Kelton method and the traditional "body shop"
style of business.
The Electronic RFP: Changing the Way Government Does Business
Gail Thornburg, Frontier Engineering
This paper reports on the challenges of a prototype electronic system for
transacting requests for proposals and source selections. More than simply
using electronic systems to generate paper output, the system's aim,
ultimately, is to enable production, assembly, and electronic publishing of
RFPs, accept electronic proposals in response to RFPs and electronic evaluation
of proposals resulting in contract award.
----------------------------------------------------
3:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Session 15A -- Human Factors in the System Development Life Cycle and
theTurbulence in Information Technology
Incorporating Human Factors in the System Development Life Cycle: Marketing and
Management Approaches
Kenneth R. Ohnemus, Senior Consultant, CSC
This paper addresses incorporating human factors techniques into the system
development life cycle from a marketing and management perspective. It
explores alternative ways of getting HFE (Human Factors Engineering) and HCI
(Human-Computer Interaction) activities included in the life cycle. The paper
also pays special attention to user-centered design, prototyping for usability,
and cost-benefit studies.
Through the Looking Glass: Turbulence in Information Technology
Stuart Robbins, Program Manager, Network Information Technology & Services,
Synopsys Corporation
This paper examines four primary kinds of turbulence in information technology
experienced by institutions moving from hardcopy to electronic delivery models
and how they relate to changing economic models. Summary: To correct the
problems in our information systems we need to address the flaws in the system
of relationships that created them. People + process = system.
------------------------------------------------------
Session 16B -- Performance Support Part 2
Logistics of Integrating Online Help, Documentation, and Training: A Practical
Example
R. Stanley Dicks, Scott Lind, Bellcore
This presentation covers the logistics to prepare an integrated online learning
support system. It discusses logistics related to the development environment,
personnel, rhetorical considerations, and management perspectives for creating
a single, integrated online system. It includes an extended demonstration of
the completed system.
=============================================================
REGISTRATION
ACM SIGDOC '95 Conference
October 1-4, 1995
EMERGING FROM CHAOS:
Solutions for the Growing Complexity of Our Jobs
________________________________________________________________________
Name First M.I. Last
________________________________________________________________________
Title
________________________________________________________________________
Organization
________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address
________________________________________________________________________
City / State or Province / Zip or Postal Code / Country
________________________________________________________________________
Telephone Number FAX Number
________________________________________________________________________
E-Mail Address
__________________________ _
ACM or SIGDOC Member #
Are You Presenting a Talk or Tutorial? __ Yes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
Conference Fees * (in U.S. $) | Payment Method
| ACM or
SIGDOC Member $ 295* ______ | Check or M. O. Enclosed __
| (payable to SIGDOC '95)
Non-Member $ 355* ______ | Charge To:
|
Full-time Student $ 50 ______ | __Master Card __VISA
(proof of status |
required; does not | __American Express
include meals or |
proceedings) | Acct. No.________________
|
Tutorials** | Expiration Date _________
|
On October 1: | Name on Card ____________
Contextual Inquiry $ 150 ______ |
Managing w/o Structure $ 150 ______ | Cardholder's Signature:
|
On October 4: |
HCI Design $ 150 ______ | ___________________________
Determining User Needs $ 150 ______ |
|
|
Banquet Ticket(s) ____ @ $ 45 ______ |
|
|
Tours |
Pub Tour(Saturday)___ @ $ 18 ______ |
Pub Tour (Sunday) ___ @ $ 18 ______ |
Historic Savannah ___ @ $ 18 ______ |
Midnight/Garden ____ @ $ 33 ______ |
|
Additional Proceedings $ 35 ______ |
|
|
Total ______ |
|
|
* Register before August 1, 1995 and take $30 off the Member or
Non-Member Conference Fee
** Minimum number of registrants is 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cancellation Policy : A $35.00 fee will be charged for cancellations after
September 15 and for no-shows.
Mail to: Cathy Eyberger,
APS, Bldg. 360
Argonne National Laboratory,
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, IL 60439.
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