SDL Structured Content Blog

I stumbled across this article on CNN the other day (originally posted on Mashable). In it, Zeke Koch from Adobe tries to explain why so many digital magazines currently look so awful on the new iPad. He provides a lot of excuses for the print-centric model currently used by many magazine publishers. Apparently, most of the publishers choose to use images for digital distribution "because the fidelity is perfect" and that these somehow "create a quick, effortless browsing experience." And while he acknowledges that HTML is a better format for delivering to various screen sizes, no one acknowledges the very poor interactivity and accessibility of image-based publishing.

Am I the only one that feels people are getting this completely backward? We all know that digital delivery is the future for content distribution and consumption, but too many content publishers seem content to live with their current model of creating print content first and then adapting it for digital. This article proves why that's a bad strategy. The printed page is not changing. It's a pretty safe bet to claim that it's a mature platform, and the exact opposite is true for digital content where the confines of the printed page no longer apply. So why would anyone use a static approach to content delivery for such a dynamic medium? There will be a fourth iPad (whatever they wind up calling it), and a fifth and sixth. There will be other tablet competitors that are successful (even if few have yet to materialize), and eventually something completely new that is currently unimagined will come along. These are safe predictions. If Conde Nast and other magazine publishers simply continue redelivering print-centric content they will always be behind the curve and reacting to new resolution requirements or other emerging needs.

The answer is to think digital delivery first, and by the way, that would NOT be a PDF (or an image). That would be a dynamic HTML presentation layer with structured content underneath, infused with metadata. By separating the content from the format, publishers would never again be caught unprepared for a new delivery channel. 

I was struck this morning by the technological change we're going through in the documentation industry.  New standards, new methods of doing business, software and hardware capabilities, and how best business practices merge together in documentation standards to produce more usable information in a timely and cost effective manner.  It may not seem all that important to you today, but it is a radical departure from what we had to do in order to put men on the moon back in the sixties.

I talk to a lot of people supporting military programs who are interested in implementing an S1000D standards based technical data management and delivery strategy. They are hearing the mantra from their peers telling of the benefit of data standardization. However, the stories are similar. “We want to go S1000D, but we have not been tasked to do so”. Without a specific program directive and the funding to address the requirement, they can’t move forward. Defense cuts aren’t helping either.

Last week I was lucky enough to attend TOC 2012 with my colleague, Jon Parsons. We weren’t there to sell anything, so no manning of booths or promiscuous business card swapping was required. Instead we got to listen to a lot of fascinating speakers and converse with a lot of people in the publishing on how they’re coping with the disruption of digital content in their industry. Of course, digital content is nothing new. Music, movies, and television have all begun the transition, but for a long time, newspapers, magazines, and books were exempt. The beginning of this change dates back to the very introduction of the internet, but with the advent of ebook readers, smart mobile devices, and high resolution tablets the pace is now quickening rapidly. 

Improving customer experience is a driving business factor for organizations adopting structured content. Odds are a majority of your customers access content online with the goal of quickly finding specific information to answer a question, solve a problem or learn more about your products.

Help topics can be difficult for customers to find specific information unique to their situation. Generally a user can select help within an application or web site where generic content is displayed. With an exposition of platforms, devices and operating systems not all combinations are covered or too much information is provided. This can lead to confusion, lost time, and a frustrated customer calling a help center to gain assistance.

I'm sure that most technical communicators today would list 'working with subject matter experts' among their top 5 biggest gripes about getting their job done. With departmental silos and colleagues that are 'just too busy' to bother reviewing or contributing to documentation, technical communicators find themselves fighting a battle for people's attention and struggling to convince the SMEs that their input is invaluable to supporting the customer. But that's only half the story. 

My dad always says, “The only constant is change.” While this is not a Michael Slaughter original – although he does create some mind-blowing original thoughts – it is still true. In few places is this adage more poignant than on the web. To point:

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released a Google-backed study around the growth of the web economy. The findings show that the value of the web economy in the G-20 countries will double in value by 2016, growing from $2.3 trillion US to approximately $4.2 trillion US.^[1] This is attributed directly to the rise in mobile internet access and applications. Because of mobile device growth, Google estimates that over 3 billion people will have access to the internet on a regular basis within the next four years.^[2] The question for global organizations is how to jump on this information in the most appropriate way to drive the future of their business and client engagement.

As a global organization, the G-20 is quickly re-solidifying their position as the standard bearer for significant, sustainable revenue generation. While “developing” or “burgeoning” markets are always going to be important, there is not foreseeable threat to the global dominance of the G20 marketplaces.  To provide perspective, the G-20 economies account for more than 80 percent of the global gross national product (GNP)^[3], 80 percent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.^[4] They contribute to 84.1 percent and 82.2 percent of the world's economic growth by nominal GDP and GDP (PPP) respectively from the years 2010 to 2016, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

When you look at the projected internet economy ($4.2 trillion US) when compared to the overall economies of the G-20, will still be below 10%. While this does not dispel the need for “brick and mortar” shops for retail companies (as an example), it does call for a significant way in which we approach customer engagement.

Staying with the retail industry, a majority of “brick and mortar” retailers maintain a simple online strategy – use the website as a means to drive in-store revenue. Big box retailers like Best Buy and Target offer the ability to order something online and pick it up at a nearby store. While this meets the “immediacy” of the customer to have the item, the logic is that when the customer goes to pick up their purchase they will make additional purchases at the store. While this model has a level of effectiveness, the dynamic increase in the number of customer personas require multiple strategies for online engagement, including a “shop-like” environment for those buyers who look only online and avoid the “brick and mortar” altogether.

However, I will again state that developing and improving your online strategy means the end of “brick and mortar.” In fact, in their latest report ForeSee noted that “highly satisfied visitors to retail websites in the U.S. say they are 65% more committed to the brand overall, 68% more likely to purchase from the retailer online, 48% more likely to purchase from the retailer offline, and 67% more likely to recommend the retailer than their dissatisfied counterparts.”^[5]

While retail has been the driving example, it is fair to note the growth of the web economy will come largely from an increase in mobile internet access.  The ever-dropping price and availability of smart phones and tablet devices in the market place will drive a significant revolution away from the traditional internet access via a copper wire and a desktop PC. In fact, it is estimated that by 2016, over 80% of all internet users will access the web using a mobile device.^[6]

What this means is that the ability to complete the purchase quickly will become a significant driving factor. This is counter to the traditional belief that the accomplishment of a purchase is holding the item in your hand. Quickly the expectation is a smooth, online experience that creates a “shop-like” feel.

So, what does this mean for global organizations? Who is impacted by this potential change? The answer is simple: Everyone.

It does not matter what industry you are in, there is a specific point that will resonate throughout every industry. So, even if your company is more B2B than B2C (example medical devices, IT, software) the ability to access IFU’s will have to come through the web – not traditional print (except where required by law). As the expectations of ease and simplicity move into our personal lives through online, mobile channels, the desire to see this approach incorporated in the “work” life will be pervasive. Video instructions and demonstrations will become more commonplace – asking the question of formats (i.e Flash or HTML 5).

So, while the initial discussion was around the increase in online economy, the ability to engage our “work” life with the same ease as our personal lives will drive those changes across every industry, not just retail.

Just a few moments ago, our very own Chip Gettinger chatted with Amber Swope of DITA Strategies on one of our most successful DITA webinars ever - we had over 240 attendees. It seems the hunger for learning about DITA best practises and the future trends for strutured content will continue to grow through 2012. We certainly hope so.

If you missed it, don't fret - the recording will be available on our website as soon as possible. And here are some highlights of what our two 'gurus' discussed today, as well as some of the great questions asked.

• The Product Content Maturity Model and the DITA Maturity Model
  • You don't have to mature your DITA usage in any exact order. If you're particularly spry, you can take on more than one step at a time.
• Searching for content to reuse
  • Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should (such as reusing entire maps)
• Implementing a Component Content Management System
  • You can only reuse content that you can find. CCMS makes content easy to find.
• Intelligent sharing of content
  • Focus on content that is already designed for reuse, such as a glossary.
• Complex versioning
  • The classic use case for complex versioning is product name changes due to updated releases, re-branding, or concurrent releases
  • Keep referencing simple
  • Start small and build up over time
• Refining content models
  • Customize your authoring environment to show only supported elements by implementing DITA 1.2 constraints
  • Optimize for localization
  • Take a step back from the printed visual representation and think about what existing visual queues mean
• Provide authoring templates and automation
  • Provide boilerplate examples to get your writers started
  • Automate publishing!

With such a large group of attendees hungry to learn, there were a lot of questions for Chip and Amber. Here are some of the ones that we thought you might like to read. You can comment on this post if you want to ask any more and we'll answer them as soon as possible.

Q.) What is an example of a Component Content Management System?
A.) SDL Trisoft is an excellent example. With its unique baseline capability, support for conditions and variables, and integrations with popular desktop editors such as XMetal and FrameMaker 

Q.) Should authors recommend content for reuse?
A.) Yes, absolutely. One major benefit to deploying DITA within the organization is making writers more efficient, and by recommending reusable content they can participate in making their job easier. 

Q.) Is taxonomy a prerequisite for DITA?
A.) Actually, no. Metadata is important for reuse, and DITA 1.2 introduces a mechanism for capturing a taxonomy. However, taxonomy implementation typically doesn't materialize until the 3rd or 4th stage of DITA maturity.

Q.) What authoring tools are commonly used by SDL Trisoft customers?
A.) SDL Trisoft supports SDL Xopus, an exciting browser-based editor for any contributors (even the casual ones) within your organization. Additionally, SDL Trisoft integrates with JustSystems XMetal, PTC Arbortext, and Adobe FrameMaker.

Q.) How can we improve our review process, bringing in reviewers across the enterprise?

A.) This is a very pertinent question for 2012 and the future of structured content management. One that many organisations are asking themselves as they look to bring subject matter experts into the workflow but without putting a burden on the publishing process. One way to facilitate the review process is to reduce the complexity of authoring by allowing reviewers to access structured content for review without having to understand XML or the tools that are designed for XML. SDL Xopus is designed for such a scenario, as an online XML editor for non-technical authors and reviewers.

Q.) Where do we find the DITA 1.2 constraint mechanism?

A.) Look in the DITA 1.2 specification for the basics and search online for resources, such as tutorials on applying constraints.

We'll be updating this post as new questions come in. Thanks for attending!

Wir freuen uns, dass die Klingelnberg AG mit dem renommierten tekom Dokupreis 2011 während der tekom Jahrestagung ausgezeichnet wurde. Einen wichtigen Beitrag hierzu leisteten die SDL-Lösungen.

Pascal Kesselmark, Leiter der Technischen Dokumentation bei Klingelnberg: „Wir freuen uns sehr über diese Auszeichnung, da wir kontinuierlich an der Optimierung der Technischen Dokumentation arbeiten. Um dies zu erreichen, müssen wir nicht nur die richtigen Softwarelösungen und unser fachliches Know How einsetzen, sondern auch die Prozesse stetig optimieren. Die SDL-Lösungen unterstützen uns hierbei enorm, denn wir können damit die inhaltliche Qualität automatisiert sicherstellen. Was nützen klar definierte Schreibregeln, wenn man diese nicht einhält oder wieso akzeptiert man höhere Übersetzungskosten, weil gleiche Inhalte mehrmals in ähnlicher Form geschrieben werden? Und genau hier liegt die Stärke von SDL: Man kann sehr einfach Prüfregeln auf Wort- und Satzebene erstellen und so, ohne Mehrkosten, die Überprüfung der Inhalte seinen Qualitätsbedürfnissen anpassen. Bereits übersetzte Texte können wiederverwendet werden, so dass die Übersetzungskosten reduziert und eine sprachliche Durchgängigkeit in unterschiedlichen Dokumenten gewährleistet wird. Durch die Autorenunterstützung von SDL kann ich als Verantwortlicher für die Technische Dokumentation sicher sein, dass die Dokumente auch strukturell und formal in Ordnung sind und mich auf das Wesentliche konzentrieren – nämlich die Inhalte!“

Today, with the help of our friend Sam, we want to tell the story of how organizations, and people like Sam, can transform their technical documentation 'towns' into engagement 'cities' that put customer experience at the heart of creating, managing and publishing technical information.

We're introducing the Product Content Maturity Model, explained simply by the video below staring our tech doc champion, Sam.