In Designing Technical Documents, we worked on a user guide for Mindjet Connect Action. We also wrote annotated bibliographies and book reviews.
Mindjet Connect Action User Guide
Joplin Project
In this class, I worked as a part of a team creating a collaboration tool via Mindjet Connect Action (a free online project management program) to improve the communication between Rebuild Joplin and the Long Term Recovery Committee as well as writing, editing, and designing task-oriented documentation for Mindjet Connect Action using Word 2010 and Snagit. I also collaborated on an accompanying Camtasia video based on our user guide.
My Project Contributions
For the Joplin project proposal, I wrote the audience section as well as helped edit and word the main proposal. In the main project, I contributed to breaking down Mindjet Connect Action into tasks to include in our user guide as well as delegating the writing tasks. Also, for the user guide, I wrote and included screenshots for the attaching files to tasks, deleting files from tasks, uploading a project picture sections as well as helped with the wording of sections earlier in the writing process.
After the user guide was written, I helped compile all of our individual sections, create and apply document styles, insert a table of contents, and overall make sure the formatting was uniform and consistent. In Joplin, I conducted a usability test to gauge the effectiveness of our documentation with a potential user (the sole participant with prior Mindjet Connect Action experience). Afterwards, I contributed to deciding the final document cover choice.
For the Camtasia video,I recorded all of the tasks from the “Tracking your progress” topic through “Adding files to tasks.” This included my orally going through the tasks as well as demonstrating the tasks in the program itself. Afterwards, I formatted my sections to include with the main video tutorial.
Mindjet Connect Action Documentation
Annotated Bibliography
For this project, we were to research three document design myths and compile an annotated bibliography either proving or disproving each myth.
Document Design Myths Annotated Bibliography
Project Management Book Review
For this project, we were to choose a project management book to write a book review, using the Technical Communication book review standards. I chose to review Managing Writers: A Real World Guide to Managing Technical Documentation.