March 2014 – Page 2 – The Logical Blog

March 12, 2014

Adobe FrameMaker 12: Single Source to Responsive HTML5 and ePub

by Kevin Siegel

Adobe's new FrameMaker 12 allows you to quickly generate Responsive HTML5 and ePubs. If these features sound familiar, they should… you'll find both in Adobe RoboHelp 11. Now that FrameMaker has these output options,you can take content that was traditionally confined to print or PDF, and deliver it to users over the web.

Your customers can use Responsive HTML5 or ePub content via desktop computers, mobile devices… just about anything. And you don't have to take the variety of screen sizes users might use into account. If the user is viewing your content on a desktop, they will automatically see an appropriate arrangement of the screen components; if they view your content on an iPhone or Android phone, they will see the components resized and rearranged in a layout to best suit the smaller display size.

Generate Responsive HTML5

Create or open a single FrameMaker document or a book file.
Choose File > Publish to open the Publish pod.
On the Publish pod, right-click Responsive HTML5 and choose Edit Settings to open the Publish Settings dialog box.
Click the Gallery button to open the New Screen Layout dialog box.
Select a Theme and click the OK button. (You will be presented with a series of options that allow you to quickly customize many components that make up the original design. What I really like about this area is that the Adobe engineers have labelled everything so you know what each area controls.)
When you're finished customizing the Theme, click theSave button to return to the Publish Settings dialog box.
Click the Save and Close button to close the Publish Settings dialog box.
To generate the layout, return to the Publish pod, right-click Responsive HTML5 and choose Generate.

In the first image below, you can see the chapter structure in my FrameMaker book file. In the second image, you can see how that structure appears in my web browser thanks to Responsive HTML5.

Generate an ePub

On the Publish pod, right-click ePub and choose Edit Settings.
On the Meta Information tab, fill in the information as necessary.
Click the Save and Close button.
To generate the Pub, return to the Publish pod, right-click ePub, and choose Generate.

In the image below, you can see how my FrameMaker book looks when viewed with an ePub reader (I'm using Adobe's free Digital Editions).

All in all, this is some pretty awesome stuff. Keep in mind that you will only need Adobe FrameMaker 12 to generate these layouts. I mentioned at the outset that Responsive HTML5 and ePub layouts were once the domain of Adobe RoboHelp. However, with FrameMaker 12, you don't need RoboHelp or any of the other tools that make up the Adobe Technical Communication Suite. Once you've created the FrameMaker content, you can output content for any audience, no matter the end-user device used to view your content.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the FrameMaker single sourcing workflow, click here to see a video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe FrameMaker? We offer multiple live, online FrameMaker classes each month. We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.

March 9, 2014

Project Management: Metrics and Variances

by Kiranmayee Pamarthy

As Tom DeMacro explains in his book, Controlling Software Projects (DeMacro, 1982), "you cannot control what you cannot measure."

The precursors for measuring are 1) Setting the guidelines and standards; 2) Managing the project; 3) Capturing the metrics; and 4) Usability.

Setting the standards. First and foremost, create a style guide or style sheet and use the guide for your standards. Continuous usage and strict adherence to these standards help writers become proficient in delivering quality deliverables. Employing multiple writers should not impact the way your company presents documentation to the customer. How many times have you heard the technical folks (the engineers for example) say that the user manuals are not used, so, why take pains to deliver quality deliverables? Negativity must never stop the quality output.

Managing the project. I'll save this section for a future article.

Capturing the metrics. Metrics can be captured for measuring productivity, defect density, budgeting or cost, etc. The following metrics analysis should be carried out for projects (overall and phase-wise where applicable), and corrective action taken when required. The variances are calculated against revisions:

Effort Variance % = ((Actual Effort – Planned Effort) / Planned Effort) * 100
Schedule Variance % = ((Actual Duration – Planned Duration) / Planned Duration) * 100
Size Variance % = ((Actual Size – Planned Size) / Planned Size) * 100
Review efficiency = No. of review defects / No. of total defects (review + test +post-ship) – defects could be author induced or lack of technical inputs
Productivity = Size / effort (No. of features or change requests / staff days)
Defect density per unit size

Overall Defect Density = Total number of defects / Size
Pre-ship Defect Density = Pre-ship defects / Size
Post-ship Defect Density = Post-ship defects / Size

Productivity Variation

Productivity Variation = (Actual Productivity – Estimated Productivity) / Estimated Productivity
Estimated Productivity = Estimated Size/ Estimated Effort (No. of features or change requests / staff days)
Actual Productivity = Actual Size/ Actual Effort (No. of features or change requests / Staff days)

Team Stability Index = Peak Planned Staff / Total number of staff in project
Delivery Commitment = No. of deliverables delivered on time with regards to latest revised date / Total no. of deliverables
Resource Utilization % = (Actual project effort logged / Allocated effort) * 100
Defect Age = Phase (Detected – Attributed)/ Number of Defects
Cost of Quality (in terms of effort)

Prevention cost (Facilitation, Audits and Work Product Inspections)
Appraisal cost (Work Product Reviews, Independent Unit Testing)
Failure cost (defect fixing, i.e. rework)

Requirements stability % = (Number of requirements identified / (Number of requirements + changes to requirements)) * 100

Usability. The organization can create a set of usability metrics for capturing the data of the usage of the document.

March 7, 2014

Localization: Training & Development in Colombia

by Jen Weaver

Continuing on our journey around the world, today we arrive in the Republic of Colombia. Let's explore some common cultural facts about Colombians and their expectations when it comes to training and development.

Test your knowledge of Colombian culture with the Fun-Fact questions below:

What is the difference between Colombia and Columbia?
True or False. Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus, even though he never set foot on Colombian soil.
What are hormigas culonas?

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Colombia¹:

Introductions and greetings can take a long time in Colombia and include many polite questions about one's family, health, and travels. Be mindful of this, and refrain from cutting these interactions short, as this is considered impolite.
Colombia's official language is Spanish, and English is not widely spoken, so translation must be a priority.
While the threat of kidnapping has greatly diminished, it is still a risk for foreign visitors. Take appropriate precautions if training on location.
Because of the country's high altitude, be prepared to give your body time to adjust if you come from lower land areas.
Colombians tend to interpret truth through feelings and are typically risk-averse and hesitant towards change. Be sure to craft your training materials with these factors in mind.
This country has a high masculinity index and may be rigid regarding gender roles in the workplace. Consider the impact of this perspective when giving examples or selecting images for your training materials.
Foreigners are expected to be on time for business meetings, while their Colombian counterparts may arrive 20 minutes late and still be considered "on time." Priority is given to meeting objectives and building relationships rather than to starting or ending promptly.
The further you move inland, the more formality you can expect in attire and business interactions. Coastal areas are more casual. No matter the location, do not address anyone by his or her first name unless invited to do so.

Fun-Fact Answers:

Colombia is a South American country. Columbia is a university in New York.
True. The first Europeans to arrive in Colombia were led by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499.
Big-bottomed ants served as a salty snack.

References:

¹Morrison, Terri, & Conaway, Wayne A. (2006). Kiss, bow, or shake hands (2nd ed.). Avon: Adams Media.

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Developing international training and development materials? Contact Jen at Carmazzi Global Solutions.

March 4, 2014

Adobe FrameMaker and Captivate: Merging Multimedia With Print PDFs

by Kevin Siegel

There's no trick to creating a PDF these days. Simply open a document and, if you've got Adobe Acrobat on your computer, choose Adobe PDF when you print.

Creating a PDF that will engage your reader is another story. One way to engage the reader, besides stellar content, is to add images. Of course, there's no trick to adding images either… and everyone's doing it.

If you really want to make a splash when it comes to PDFs, you've got to engage the reader like never before… and interactive eLearning is the way to go.

In the image below, I've created a FrameMaker document. You can see there's nothing particularly special about the text (beyond the promise of an Adobe Captivate simulation).

After clicking where I wanted the simulation to appear, I chose File > Import > File and opened a SWF I had published earlier using Adobe Captivate. Just like when importing a graphic, I was met with the Imported Graphic Scaling dialog box. I selected 150 dpi to make the imported Captivate simulation a bit smaller in my FrameMaker document.

After clicking the Set button, the Captivate simulation appeared in my FrameMaker document as a large box.

I wanted the simulation positioned below the text, and I didn't want it to be cropped. I right-clicked the frame and selected Anchored Frame.

I changed the Anchoring Position to Below Current Line, changed the Alignment to Right, and removed the check mark from Cropped. Then I clicked Edit Frame.

And that was all there was to it. I created a PDF by choosing File > Save as PDF. Upon opening the PDF, the simulation appeared immediately after being clicked. And I was delighted to see that the simulation remained as interactive from within the PDF as it was when accessed via a web server.

Even better, when I found an error in the Captivate simulation, I was able to return to the FrameMaker document, right-click the imported SWF, and chose Edit With Adobe Captivate.

The source Captivate project opened pretty quickly in Adobe Captivate. I fixed the error and exited Captivate, at which point the project was republished and the SWF contained in FrameMaker automatically updated.

After re-saving as a PDF and opening the PDF with Adobe Reader, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Captivate simulation had been updated.

If you would like to see a demonstration of the Captivate-to-FrameMaker-to-PDF workflow, click here to see a video I created on the IconLogic YouTube channel.

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Looking for training on Adobe Captivate? We offer multiple live, online Adobe Captivate classes each month including Introduction to Adobe Captivate and Advanced Adobe Captivate. Need the training in-person? We can also bring the same great training onsite to your facility. Interested? Contact us for details.