Writing Business Copywriting Great Technical Writing: Improve Document Searches
Searches in User Documents (manuals, etc.) often fail because the Reader uses different words for a concept than the author uses. Since the Reader's words do not appear in the document, the document search mechanism cannot find them, resulting in frustration. This article describes a User-friendly technique for improving searches, without having to change the Users' behavior or the search software.
YOUR READERS' WORDS
People use the words that they know when they speak, write, or search. It's folly to try to force the Reader to use the writer's terminology; the Reader simply might not know the "proper" term. Forced to use unknown words, the Reader will find the User Document to be arrogant, or at least difficult to use.
For example, a User Manual for a word processing program will probably use the word "formatting" when dealing with character fonts and size, as well as page layout. But suppose that your Reader uses the word "appearance" to refer to these topics. How can we get the search mechanism to provide the correct result if the Reader searches for "appearance"?
THE TECHNICAL ANSWER: A THESAURUS SEARCH
The technical solution would be to convert the document search software from being an "exact term" search to a "Thesaurus Search." In a Thesaurus Search, the User enters a word that he/she knows, and the search returns synonyms or references to the synonyms in the document. Thus a properly set up Thesaurus Search should return references to "formatting" if the Reader searches for "appearance."
Unfortunately, the Thesaurus Search is rarely available, and creating one would require changes to the existing search program. A low tech solution may be the best answer.
THE ANSWER: SYNONYMS
For this technique, you need to put synonyms of the author's word ("formatting") on the pages that you want the search to find. Such synonyms may include "appearance," "design," and "layout." This is a simple, effective solution.
You can find appropriate synonyms by using the thesaurus that is a component of most word processors and of many libraries. Select the synonyms that your Readers are likely to use. "Likely to use" is based on your analysis of your Reader.
This leads us to the next question: How do you put the synonyms on the page?
DON'T USE HIDDEN TEXT
Technically savvy writers may ask "why not use hidden text for the synonyms?" The benefit is that hidden text will not "clutter up" the page.
So, if in the sections of the User Document where "formatting" is presented, the writer put the word "appearance" as hidden text (assuming the search utility would find this hidden information), then the following will happen:
1. The Reader searches for "appearance."
2. The search takes the Reader to the "formatting" section of the document. 3. The Reader wonders "How did I get here?" The word that he/she searched for ("appearance") does not appear on the page, since it is hidden.
Given that a goal of a User Document is to answer the Reader's questions, then doing anything that causes him/her to ask another question ("How did I get here?") is counter-productive. Hidden synonyms are not the best answer.
THE ELEGANT SOLUTION: "YOU MAY KNOW THIS AS..."
Hiding the synonyms is not a good idea. It's better to let the Reader know what's going on. The easiest way is to add a line of text on the page where the topic appears. This line of text begins with the phrase, "You may know this as..."
To continue our "formatting" example, our explanatory synonym phrase becomes, "You may know this as appearance, layout, or design." A search for "appearance" brings the Reader to the "Formatting" section.
Upon seeing the phrase "You may know this as appearance, layout, or design," the Reader knows why the search found this location. The search satisfied the Reader, and did not add uncertainty to the situation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The goal of all good User Documents is to improve the Reader's experience with the product. By using synonyms for "technical" terms, the writer makes the Reader's document searches more effective, since the needed topics will be found using the Reader's words.
By not hiding the synonyms, the Reader is not confused as to why he/she arrived at that place in the document. The result is a better experience with the document and the product.
RESOURCES
Barry Millman, Ph.D., has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1966, Carnegie Institute of Technology) and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Psychology (Human Information Processing, University of Calgary). He has been a consultant for over 25 years, an instructor, course developer, and award-winning speaker. For the past seven years he has been researching and creating resources to help organizations create great User Documents.
Visit: http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ for resources to help you create the User Documents that your Product needs and your Users deserve.
Visit http://www.greatuserdocs.com/ReadingRoom.htm for more articles like this one.
Related Tags: technical writing, user documents, document search
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Writing The Best Ad Copy Possible For Newspapers
Learning how to write ads for Newspapers is a very important skill a small business owner should mas - Top Suggestions To Become A Far Better Proofreader
Proofreading is a process which involves rectifying several spelling and other grammatical mistakes - Greatest Training Strategies
When you have ever been to a health care provider, the first thing they do is convince you to do low - What Everybody Ought To Know About Publishing
Imagine picking up your daily newspaper and fiding blank pages. Or turning on the 6 p.m. news to be - Get Your Creative Juices Going
Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. A - Article Review Test- Facing And Passing The Article Review Process Easily
Article review test is an important step that any new writer has to take in order to write for an ar - Adopting Good Writing Tactics For High Search Engine Rankings
Search engine optimization of the site is responsible for improving the accessibility of the site on - How Big Should Your Headline Be?
I've recently seen this demonstrated in a split test I put together on the entry page of my web site - Crafts Articles - How to bag maintenance
cheap chanel purses can not help but have a subtle cortical surface wounds, hand temperature and m - Classified Advertising: Follow The Aida Formula For Success
Writing classified ads really is easier than you think. All you have to do is follow a simple formul
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Sales Letter Writing
When writing a sales letter, it is important to have a good attitude in order to sell your product o - Why Copywriting Doesn't Work
Once upon a time I had an ad critiqued by one of the world's few copywriting geniuses.Not a freelanc - Secret to Writing Killer Copy
The point of contact is any place where your potential client has the opportunity to see your market - Increase the Power of Your Sales Letter in 2007
Writing a good sales letter can be frustrating. Looking around at some examples you find that most - 3 Keys To Effective Sales Letters
Today I want to talk a little bit about sales letters. You've probably read tons of sales letters d - Newsletters: 4 Mistakes People Make
68% of customers stop doing business because of perceived indifference through lack of communication - How To Write Killer Sales Letters That Will Help Flood Your Inbox With Cash
A powerful, well-constructed sales letter is undoubtedly one of the most lethal tools in an internet - How To Write Advice Marketers Must Have
How to write sales copy advice is easy to find in the marketing world. All marketers know they must - Seven Webcopy Essentials To Boost Sales In 2007: How To Engage Online Visitors
Relevant webcopy is the key to engaging your website's visitors and converting more sales in 2007.Fo - Discover the Winning Ad Headline That Skyrockets Traffic, Sales, Profits & Subscription Rates
You may have heard that a good headline is what you need at the top of your sales page to get your v