Documentation – The Logical Blog

November 12, 2015

Development Corner: Image Formats

by Sally Cox

When it comes to adding images to websites, PowerPoint presentations, or eLearning projects, you will likely be given JPEGs, GIFs, or PNGs. Let's review the three most common image formats and why/when to use them.

JPEG

JPEG is short for "Joint Photographer's Experts Group." It is one of the most popular formats used on the web and in eLearning. JPEG compression (the act of making the image as small as possible while retaining as much quality as possible) is "lossy" compression, which means every time you save an image as a JPEG, it loses quality.

The first image above is a JPEG taken with my iPhone. In the second image, I have opened the file in Photoshop and zoomed in on the child's face.

The little squares you see in the closeup image are called "pixels." Every time you save an image as a JPEG, it loses some quality by throwing out pixels. So if you are editing an image in Photoshop, always save it as the native format first, which is a PSD (Photoshop Document).

In the Save As dialog box in Photoshop, choose "Photoshop" as the file format. This saves as a PSD and preserves all details. Then after you finish your edits, do another Save As and choose "JPEG." The original PSD remains fully intact.

The image below is an example of the same photo saved multiple times as a low-quality JPEG. Notice that that there is a squarish effect happening and details are lost. This effect is known as "JPEG artifact."

JPEGs use the "RGB colorspace," which has more than 16 million colors. This allows for beautiful continuous-tone images with fluid gradations and a full range of colors. It's a good choice for continuous-tone, but does not allow transparency or animation.

GIF

The "Graphic Interchange Format" (GIF) works in the "Indexed colorspace," so its color palette is quite limited–just 256 colors. GIFs do, however, support transparency and animation (the once-hated animated GIF is making a comeback; I see it every day on Facebook). The oldest format on the web (created in 1989), GIFs are saved as "lossless" compression.

In the image below, I have saved the image as a GIF and it contains just 256 colors. You can see that the image has lost some of its detail.

Here is an example of an image containing just 8 colors–all detail is gone and the image has a "posterized" effect.

GIFs are perfect for "flat color," i.e., logos or flat design graphics that don't have gradations or continuous-tone (remember: only 256 colors).

PNG

The "Portable Network Graphic" was created (approved as a web standard in 1996) to provide high quality continuous-tone but also allow for transparency and animation.

PNGs are saved in the RGB colorspace, so they have the full range of 16 million+ colors. What I like best about PNGs is the ability to save transparency, which I use every day in my workflow. I save my graphics as high-quality PNGs and allow transparency (a checkbox I choose in Adobe Illustrator when I export a graphic to PNG).

In a recent project I wanted to use an image of a headset, and I needed the background to be transparent. I opened the image in Adobe Illustrator and set the Export PNG options to High Quality and set the Background Color to Transparency.

Thanks to the Transparency option, I had the freedom to overlay the headset on the green background shown below.

To Recap:

	JPEG	GIF	"PNG"
COLORS	16 MILLION +	256	16 MILLION +
TRANSPARENCY	NO	YES	YES
ANIMATION	NO	YES	YES
CONTINUOUS-TONE	YES	NO	YES
FLAT COLOR	NO	YES	YES

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July 13, 2015

Adobe RoboHelp 2015: Conditional Build Tags and Named Expressions

by Willam van Weelden

A project can easily contain thousands of topics. When you generate a layout, all of the topics are generated. But what if you want to exclude several topics from being generated? Using Conditional Build tags, you can mark topics or topic content. When the time comes to generate, you can choose to create conditions that control which tagged content is generated. Using conditions, you can maintain one large project but generate multiple layouts; each layout can have unique content. Content that is excluded from a layout is not seen by your users.

Tagged content appears in RoboHelp 11 and earlier as text with diagonal lines (first image below). In RoboHelp 2015 tagged content appears with an overline. The overline makes it much easier to read the content and see which content is tagged.

The downside of tagged content in RoboHelp 11 and earlier is that you can only create Conditional Build Expressions that show which tags are excluded. A Conditional Build Expression is a list of tags to exclude from your output. These expressions can get confusing because it is not always clear which tags to exclude for which situation. For example, a company has two divisions: East and West coast. Based on the name of the tag below, will the tag exclude content from the East coast or the West coast?

With RoboHelp 2015 you use common sense names to easily distinguish which Conditional Build Expression you need in which situation.

To create a Named Conditional Build Expression, choose Project > Pods > Conditional Build Tag and then click Create a new build expression.

The Define Conditional Build Expression dialog opens. Double-click a tag to exclude the tag from the output and then click Save.

Name the expression and click OK.

If you have existing Conditional Build Expressions, you can easily change their names. Open the Conditional Build Tags pod (choose Project > Pods > Conditional Build Tag).

Click Create a new build expression.

From the Define Conditional Build Expression dialog box, select an expression from the Expressions drop-down menu.

Click Rename this expression.

Name the expression and then click OK.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? Come join me for my live, two-day online RoboHelp class (held once each month). And check out my new 3-hour mini course: Adobe RoboHelp: Advanced Content Reuse.

May 10, 2015

Writing & Curriculum Development: The Introductory Narrative, Signaling the Audience

by Jennie Ruby

"In this course you will learn the functionality of [insert topic you've never heard of]. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to [do a bunch of procedures the utility of which is not immediately evident]."

Traditionally, many of us have written these types of sentences at the top of page 1 of our courseware materials or eLearning scripts, and then that has served as our audience's only introduction to the topic of the course.

It doesn't have to be that way. I'd like to introduce the Introductory Narrative–a brief paragraph prior to the sentences above and the list of objectives. Its job is to engage the learner and perhaps provide a little positivity and motivation.

The introductory narrative should do five things.

Signal the correct audience.
Use the word "you" to talk directly to the learner.
Explain the "what's in it for me" (WIIFM) for the learner.
Say some positive and encouraging words about the topic of the training and/or the process of learning it.
Finally, name the [topic you've never heard of] as the very last words of the paragraph.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be exploring each of these topics in turn. Today let's look at the first one: signaling the correct audience.

Signaling the correct audience is indicating in your first sentence who the intended audience is for the course or lesson. It can be done a couple of different ways.

First, you can always indicate the correct audience for a course or lesson by explicitly naming the job title or describing the situation of the person the learning is meant to address, and using the word you:

As a warehouse employee here at ABC Company, you…

As the parent of a newborn, you…

Another popular way to signal the intended audience is to ask a question. If the learner answers yes, they are the correct audience:

Have you ever taken a picture of someone and had their eyes come out red?

Do you need a quick way to transfer files between computers?

Do you need to build an authentication and identity API?

Learners who answer yes, immediately understand that the lesson is for them. Those who answer no or don't recognize what you are talking about will instantly know that the training is not intended for them.

A more subtle way to signal the correct audience is to describe a real-world situation with "you" at the center:

So you've landed the interview. Now you've got to land the job.

Without directly saying "this training is intended for persons who are currently seeking employment," the message is conveyed that if you are currently trying to get a job, this training is for you.

Of course the introductory narrative for training materials is not the only place you might need to use these methods of signaling the correct audience.

You might need to do this in the subject line of a company-wide email aimed at a subset of employees. Or in the first paragraph of any article or blog entry. Or you might need to write a course description to help potential learners identify the correct training for them.

Do you have other interesting ways to signal your correct audience? Please post your suggestions as comments below.

Reference

Kevin Siegel and Jennie Ruby, Writing for Curriculum Development 3.0, 2014, IconLogic.

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Do you need to learn how to write eLearning scripts? Come check out my live, online mini course.

February 23, 2015

Localization: Training and Development in Poland

by Jen Weaver

As we continue our journey around the world, let's explore some common cultural facts about Poles and their expectations when it comes to training and development.

Test Your Knowledge of Polish Culture

The name "Poland" is a descriptor of the country's geography. Does it mean:

The borderlands?
The hill country?
The flatlands?

True or False? Polish businesspeople often speak German.
True or False? Prussian is also a common language in Poland.

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Poland¹:

Poland is a male-dominated society. Female trainers may find it hard to be taken seriously, even though women have been advancing into more predominant roles in recent years.
Polish is the official language, but many businesspeople speak German as well as English. Clarify language preferences before beginning your class. Just because most Poles can understand English does not mean it's the preferred language for training.
Catholicism is a highly predominant religion, with less than two percent of the population identifying with another religion. Approximately ten percent of Poles describe themselves as "nonreligious."
Security is a high priority for Poles, and they are determined to maintain their freedom after a difficult history with both Russia and Germany. As such, Poles tend to prize individualism and the contributions a person can make in larger groups as a whole.
Poland is a hierarchical society, and there is a tendency for decisions to be made at a higher level or by consensus of "privileged" individuals.
Truth is a combination of facts along with subjective feelings and personal relationships. An individual's religious ideologies also often come into play when making decisions.
Business appointments start and end on time.
Many Poles opt to not take a lunch break and to work straight through the day. "Work lunches" are often scheduled for around 4 or 5 p.m., and employees do not go back to work after taking lunch. Keep this in mind and clarify time expectations when determining your class schedule.
A local Polish advocate will go far when establishing new business relationships. Try to identify a champion of your initiative within the company or someone closely associated and respected through corporate connections.
Poles tend to be more soft-spoken than North Americans, and business attire is conservative professional.

Knowledge Answer from Above:

(c) Poland is mostly flat.
True. Not much of a surprise, considering Poland's location along the German border.
False. While once used, Prussian became extinct in the 1700's.

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. And if you love Jen's articles, check out her new Localization mini courses.

December 18, 2014

eLearning: More Reflection

by Kevin Siegel

Last week I wrote about how you can use Reflector to create software simulations and demonstrations from your mobile device.

I received emails from several people who, having read the article, downloaded Reflector and attempted to create a simulation using Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline. While most folks were successful in reflecting the mobile device onto the computer, several people reported that none of the actions they took on the mobile device were captured by the eLearning tool.

As I mentioned in last week's article, the reflection of the mobile device you see on the computer is passive; you cannot control the reflection with the computer. Instead, you can simply see what's happening on the mobile device through your computer.

During the simulation recording process, if you're creating a software simulation, programs like Captivate and Storyline only capture the screen if you click your mouse (or manually create a screen capture by pressing the appropriate keyboard shortcut). Since you're not clicking anything on your computer (remember, the computer is simply showing you a reflection of the mobile device), neither Captivate nor Storyline will capture anything.Unless…

On your computer, start the recording process using Captivate or Storyline. Just prior to performing an action on your mobile device, click the reflection on your computer to create a screen capture. Next, on the mobile device, perform the action. Back on the computer, click the reflection again to create a second screen shot that shows the result of whatever it is you did on the mobile device. Continue this process over and over until you have completed all of the processes you wish to simulate on the mobile device.

If clicking over and over again to create a simulation sounds too difficult, all three of the top eLearning development tools (Camtasia Studio, Captivate, and Storyline) excel at creating videos. If you create a video of the reflected mobile device, everything you do on the mobile device is captured because the video isn't creating individual screen shots, it's capturing everything you do without discrimination.

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If you'd like to learn more about eLearning, come hang out in my next eLearning basics mini course. And if you'd like to learn more Captivate, Presenter, or Storyline, we've got a great collection of live, online classes for you.

December 12, 2014

Localization: Training & Development in Norway

by Jen Weaver

As we make our way towards Scandinavia, let's explore some common cultural facts about Norwegians and their expectations when it comes to Training & Development.

Test your knowledge of Norwegian Culture

True or False? Norway remained neutral during World War II.
True or False? Norway is a monarchy.

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Norway¹:

As members of the least punctual culture in northern Europe, Norwegians often run 10 to 15 minutes late for appointments. Be prepared to wait, but always arrive promptly yourself. While it's common for meetings to begin a bit behind schedule, be sure to end your classes on time, especially if they run until the end of the workday.
While English is widely known in Norway, the official language is Norwegian and may be the preferred language for use in your training materials. Even when fluent in English, many Norwegians prefer written communication in their native tongue.
More analytical than emotional, Norwegians tend to view outside information cautiously, and they are often slow to make decisions.
Communication is typically blunt and straightforward, and it's the cultural norm to accept statements at face value.
Individual freedom and independence are highly valued. As such, any kind of debt is avoided, as it's viewed as an impediment to one's freedom.
Family units are perceived as a way to maintain stability and structure in life. Norway's social welfare system perpetuates this support as well and is a great source of pride for the Norwegian people.
Gender roles are greatly minimized in Norwegian culture, as both parents share childcare responsibilities and women have great freedom in behavior and personal or professional aspirations.
Norwegians are quiet people, so avoid speaking too loudly or boisterously.
Talking with your hands in your pockets is considered too casual for business interactions, and the American "okay" gesture is perceived as rude.
Although Norway is a very affluent country, gift-giving is not acceptable in business interactions due to strict anti-bribery laws.

Knowledge Answers from Above:

True. Although it was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II.
True. It's a constitutional monarchy with the king as chief of state.

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. And if you love Jen's articles, check out her new Localization mini courses.

December 7, 2014

Technical Communication: Applying Lean Principles to Documentation

by Megan Pitkin

While I was working as a bedside nurse, my organization decided to adopt a new way of approaching patient care and improve workflow: Lean. As described in this article about Lean in health care, "Lean is an industrial managerial system that aims to eliminate process waste in the forms of transportation, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, over-processing, and defects."

While Lean was originally intended for industrial applications, the article describes the efforts of Dr. M. Peggy Hays, associate professor in the UAH College of Nursing, to bring industrial Lean practices in healthcare.

"Nursing staff today have more and more duties," said Dr. Hays. "How can they make their job more efficient so they can focus on patient care, which is why they got into the profession in the first place?"

According to the article, Dr. Hays said that "healthcare applications [for Lean] include unearthing greater efficiencies in emergency room waiting times, operating room use, use of nursing rounds, medication rounds, processing patient paperwork in administrative offices, and workflow of the staff."

The planning and assessment phase for my unit started with the team receiving Lean education and concluded with a list of probable projects and action items needed for the week. Because the main action item was patient wait times, data was collected for the time it took for call lights to be answered.

An initial assessment found that we walked over five miles each shift between patient rooms for medication delivery, gathering of supplies, locating equipment, and patient care needs. After streamlining workflows, reorganization of the medication rooms, and standardizing equipment processes, my walking was reduced by a mile for my first shift of the implementation week. With the improved processes and reduction in the amount of walking required for the nurses to complete their tasks, there was a significant decrease in call light wait times.

Seeing how successful Lean was in my unit and throughout the organization, I began to question if the Lean principals could be applied to the materials I used in my Electronic Medical Records (EMR) training classes. While adopting an industrial process in the creation of training materials may sound like a stretch, I'd like to illustrate one simple way that I applied the Lean principles to a PowerPoint presentation I use in my classes.

Since standardization is a key Lean component, I used my organization's approved fonts and colors on my first slide.

Applying Lean to technical documents.

I also organized my lesson plan sections and agenda using approved colors, and I used the colors in a very deliberate way. For example, in the image below notice that "Locating the Patient" is a dark purple on my agenda slide.

Applying Lean to technical documents (agenda slide colors).

I used that same dark purple banner on all of the slides in the "Locating a Patient" segment of the course. (One of those slides is shown below.)

Applying Lean to technical documents. More color coding.

Lastly, I color-coordinated the supporting training materials, like pocket guides, so that they match the colors used in the presentation.

Applying Lean to technical documents. Pocket guides.

As a nurse, it is encouraging for me to see more hospitals doing an excellent job of implementing Lean tools that manufacturing has been evolving for more than half a century. As an Instructional Designer, I have been pleased with the overwhelming positive feedback I have received by adopting these Lean philosophies into the creation of materials for EMR classes.

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If you like Megan's articles, you'll love her live, online classes such as Train the EMR Trainer.

November 5, 2014

Adobe Captivate: Replacing PowerPoint Slides But Keeping the Audio

by Kevin Siegel

I received an interesting email from a fellow Captivate developer who was in a bit of a pickle. The developer had imported a 60-slide PowerPoint presentation into Captivate and then added audio to each of the Filmstrip slides.

Just as he was about to Publish his finished project, he was told to use a different PowerPoint presentation. Mind you, it wasn't just that the imported presentation had changed and he needed to update it in Captivate. In that case, all he would have had to do is click the presentation's red "not in synch" icon on the library and the new PowerPoint content would have come into the Captivate project. In this instance, he was given a completely different presentation (the same audio was going to be used, but each slide visual was going to change).

Since the developer had already invested time importing the 60 audio files (files he was going to use on the replacement slides), he contacted me hoping he wasn't going to have to start over from scratch.

The bottom line is he didn't have to start over again and was able to reuse all of the imported audio files. Here's what I instructed him to do:

First, visit the Library and rename the audio files so the name of each audio file matches the slide where it was used. (To rename a Library item, right-click the item and choose Rename.)

Adobe Captivate: Rename Library items.

In the image below, notice that I've renamed my audio files so the names match the slide that's currently using them (slide1Audio, slide2Audio, etc.).

Adobe Captivate: Renamed Library Items.

Next, delete all of the imported PowerPoint slides. Because Captivate projects must have at least one slide, if your project only contains PowerPoint slides, insert a blank slide first (via Insert > New Slide From). Then delete all of the slides except the blank one.

The above step can seem extreme and nerve-wracking because you're deleting all of those awesome slides. But keep in mind you'll be replacing the deleted slides with new slides in just a moment.

Check out the Library. Even though you deleted the slides, the audio files are still in the Library. Notice the Use Count shows a bunch of zeros because none of the audio files are being used.

Adobe Captivate: Unused Audio Files

Import the new PowerPoint slides into the Captivate project (via File > Import > PowerPoint Slides).

Delete the blank slide you added earlier and, as a final step, drag the unused audio files from the Library onto their corresponding Filmstrip slides.

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October 31, 2014

Localization: Training and Development in Mexico

by Jen Weaver

Because Mexico is our neighbor to the south, Mexican culture may be familiar to most Americans. Whether you will find this information new or just a refresher course, let's explore some common cultural facts about Mexicans and their expectations when it comes to Training and Development.

Test Your Knowledge of Mexican Culture

True or False. The official name of Mexico translates to "The United States of Mexico."
True or False. Mexico's official religion is Catholic.

Quick Tips for Training & Development in Mexico¹:

Mexican communications include elaborate and extensive demonstrations of courtesy. Culturally, many Mexicans find it difficult to say "no," so they may agree to decisions or tasks without fully understanding the expectations but will avoid asking clarifying questions. You may find that those with higher levels of education may be more prone to request further details.
While generally deemed acceptable in business interactions, intense constant eye contact may be interpreted as aggressive or threatening in other settings. During casual interactions, for example, intermittent eye contact is more appropriate.
Authority figures are commonly perceived as corrupt, so most Mexicans will be skeptical of those in positions of leadership. Overcome this by being warm, personable and courteous. Demonstrate trust and goodwill while building relationships and maintaining professionalism.
Mexicans are typically risk-averse and highly resistant to change. Subjective feelings on a topic guide an individual's perspective on what is true or right. Generally speaking, however, those with higher levels of education will give greater weight to objective facts than straight emotions or gut feelings when making decisions.
Family is highly valued, and individuals will commonly make decisions based on the best interests of their family unit. Even with such a prevalence of machismo in Mexican culture, the mother is typically viewed as the central figure in the family due to her protective nature. However, the father may still garner the most respect.
Business opportunities rely heavily upon building relationships, with relationships taking priority over expertise. Take time to get to know your students and key decision-makers in advance, especially when interacting with high-ranking professionals or governmental officials, as this will aid in their receptivity to your message.
Priorities in time are given to building relationships, not to necessarily ending the meeting on schedule. While business meetings often end late, they will typically begin on time. So, be sure you are punctual. For casual gatherings, everything will typically start and run later than planned.
As relationships develop, your Mexican counterpart may transition to using first names when you communicate. Wait for him or her to make this change; otherwise, use educational or business titles to address each other.
Business settings are more relaxed than here in the States, and decision-making is a lengthy process. Build buffers for delays into your class timelines to allow for multiple conversations. Once a decision has been made, implementation processes are usually faster than here in the States, as Mexican businesses face less requirements and paperwork.
Be mindful not to publicly criticize anyone, as individual dignity and respect are highly valued.
High-end sharp-looking visuals are appreciated, so be sure to use quality graphics in your training materials.

Answers The Trivia Above:

True.
False. Mexico does not have an official religion, although Roman Catholic beliefs are very prevalent.

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. And if you love Jen's articles, check out her new Localization mini courses.

October 23, 2014

Adobe RoboHelp: In Word We Trust

by Willam Van Weelden

If you have attempted to create printed documentation with RoboHelp, there is a good chance you have run into a macro error. RoboHelp uses Word for printed documentation, and this error occurs if Word's security settings don't allow macros.

You can enable macros in Word, but that may not be enough. Some Help Authors receive unspecified errors when generating printed documentation even with macros enabled. To solve this, RoboHelp projects must be added to Word's trusted locations. I'll show you how to both Enable Word Macros and add projects to the trusted locations.

Enabling Word Macros

Start Word.
Click the Office button (Word 2007) or go to the File tab (Word 2010-2013).
Click Options.
Select Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings.
From the Macro Settings area, select Enable all macros.
Close the Trust Center and the options.

Go to RoboHelp and generate the printed documentation. In most cases, RoboHelp will create a Word document out of your Help System. If RoboHelp still doesn't generate the printed documentation, you likely need to add your RoboHelp projects to Word's Trusted Locations.

Add RoboHelp Projects to Trusted Locations

Start Word.
Click the Office button (Word 2007) or go to the File tab (Word 2010-2013).
Select Options.
Select Trusted locations and then click the Add new location button.
In the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box, click the Browse button and open the folder containing your RoboHelp projects.
Select Subfolders of this location are also trusted.
Click OK to close the Microsoft Office Trusted Location dialog box.
Close the Trust Center and the options.

Go to RoboHelp and re-generate the printed documentation.

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Looking to learn RoboHelp? We offer a live, two-day online RoboHelp class once a month. Feel free to contact us to learn other ways to meet your RoboHelp training requirements.