Introduction to Web Authoring Bill Hart-Davidson AIM: billhd30 Session 21

Sustainability is… Focused on Web Authoring as an important organizational practice A way of looking at an organization’s website as something they do, not something they have An exercise of a technical communicator’s role as a “steward of writing practice” rather than merely as a writer

Assessing Sustainability The main way we assess the sustainability of a website is via Activity Analysis… Activity We need to do ____________ via our website… Activity = Roles x Tasks workflows breakdowns

Scenario: Coordinate Group Rides A local cycling club uses its website to keep members informed about upcoming rides Any member can schedule a ride for any day of the week; rides are phoned in to a “Rideline” that is transcribed to the site twice a week During inclement weather, ride plans often change before the website can be updated..

Breakdowns in Current Scenario coordinate group rides We _________________________ via our website… Roles Webmaster Ride Leaders Members Call in ride info Copy ride info to log Attend Ride? Update web site Hold Ride? Transcription errors Too late to update site No rsvp

Transformed Scenario coordinate group rides We _________________________ via our website… Roles Webmaster Ride Leaders Members Submit ride Info via form Sign up to ride? Hold Ride? Get confirm + updates Approve rides

Do workflow analysis by… 1.Listing all the activities that are important to the organization to accomplish via the website…even those that they don’t currently use the website for 2.Map current scenarios with breakdowns; do this by talking with and/or observing group members 3.Map transformed scenarios that address the problems in the current scenario 4.Based on requirements of transformed scenario, recommend changes to site, roles, and actions

A Common Sustainability Problem Content Bottlenecks - site doesn’t get updated often enough because it falls to one person to do the work Solution: distribute authorship responsibility among the organization Note that distributing authorship likely means changing roles, actions, and technology…and so it is usually several recommendations rather than just one.

Research design chart (RDC) Question 1 Question 2 Data source questions data sources methodsWho/when? interview scenario This chart allows you to plan and a discovery effort in a systematic way. Note that it does not ask you to answer the questions…but only to show you expect to arrive at the answers! Team members, target date

Make a GANTT chart Nov December Interviewing Staff Final Report due Students User testing Current system Create samples Progress Report due Web prototype Draft final Report due Genre analysis (similar sites) You can assign names to each task too Note that writing happens throughout… not as a separate phase

Project planning Procedure for teams 1.Read the client liaison’s proposal 2.Analyze the author’s framing of the problem and brainstorm other possible issues 3.Collect the issues as a set of client “needs”…make a list of these 4.Write research questions that will allow you to gather info, flesh out the list of needs, and begin the design process 5.For each question determine what source or sources of info you’ll need to consult to answer the question

Create you own RDC 1.Plug the questions into the RDC format we looked at today 2.Use the last two columns of the RDC to make a GANTT chart 3.For your progress report, be prepared to show your RDC and GANTT chart in class, talking through your project plan, what you have accomplished up to that point and what work you have remaining