Technical communicators have done contextualization for years. Context-sensitive help has been with us since the mid-1990s and responsive design since 2004; both are integrated into today’s authoring tools. But the growth of mobile documentation is creating new models for contextualization. This presentation reviews those models and discusses where contextualization may be going.
The presentation first reviews traditional context-sensitive help and the code that drives it – the header and alias files – and responsive design and responsive layout and the code that drives it – mainly the CSS file. We’ll then turn to new forms like geographic, chronological, spatial, environmental, personal, and others. These models aren’t new – mobile apps have used them for years – but they are new to tech comm. We’ll look at use cases, definition issues, and an example that you can create today using Flare that responds in real-time to sensor data. You’ll leave this presentation with a good feel for where “context” is headed.
Speaker
Neil Perlin
Certified Flare Trainer and Consultant, Hyper/Word Services
Neil Perlin is the president of Hyper/Word Services, an online content and app development firm based in Massachusetts. Neil is MadCap-certified in Flare... Read More
Neil Perlin is the president of Hyper/Word Services, an online content and app development firm based in Massachusetts. Neil is MadCap-certified in Flare and Mimic and a frequent speaker at MadWorld and other industry conferences. You can reach him at nperlin@nperlin.cnc.net, visit his web site at www.hyperword.com, or follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter (as NeilEric).
