- Defining all the information needed by the user
- Organizing the information
- Determining the appropriate presentation for each category of
information
- Tailoring the strategy to fit available resources
First and foremost, the strategy must address the users' informational
needs. What are the tasks? What reference information is needed? Knowing
the product-user interaction is necessary to determine what information
to provide, and what information to not provide.
Information can be presented in a variety of formats - as classic
online help, web help, PDF files, printed documents, etc. Information
can also be presented as sound, animation, and, of course, text on
the user interface. The right presentation is partly based the users'
environment when they require the information. Are they online? Are
they reading reference information on a commuter train? Are they in
front of a monitor? Not all presentations are appropriate for your
product. Then again, a single presentation may not be appropriate
either.
Resource constraints must also be taken into consideration as part
of any information strategy. The best possible information set for
the user may be prohibitive to your organization due to schedule,
personnel, and/or budget constraints. Some information strategies
are, by necessity, divided into short and long term implementations.
Once the strategy is in place, the information must be developed.
Implementing the strategy may involve a variety of skills, including
classic technical writing, graphic illustration, and even some UI
design.
At RGovoni, we have many years of experience in information
design and development. We can help you create a strategy, analyze
your existing information set, and even create or update the information
set for you.