Information architecture

The way you present and organize your content says a lot to your clients and customers. Giving structure to your organization’s content ensures:

• Your business’ reputation is maintained by high-quality content.
• Consistency across every piece and channel.
• Makes it easier to manipulate programmatically.
• Improves SEO.
• Provides a consistent experience to your users and staff.
• People quickly get the answers they need to move on with their day.

Structured authoring

Once you determine your architecture, you need a way to govern it. While not every organization needs a strictly enforced structure, I am highly experienced with structured authoring.

DITA is an example of an XML-based structured authoring language for technical documentation. DITA’s strength is in:

• Using attributes and metadata to inform and enforce structure.
• Reusing content — no more copying and pasting!

Just as your developers use components, your authors and contributors can also use content components through a Component Content Management Systems (CCMS). Structured authoring’s extensive use of attributes and metadata makes your technical content more available programmatically, and allows your authors to enforce writing standards across your organization.

Let’s figure out the best approach for your organization.

Examples

• Re-architected a 1200-topic, 10-year-old Adobe RoboHelp HTML system based almost exclusively on FAQs. Using a data-driven approach, I reduced topics by 50% and increased traffic to the remaining topics.
• Developed and implemented a unique publishing workflow leveraging DITA XML and XSLT to use Confluence as a Content Management System (CMS).