Society for Technical Communication Lone Star Community presents “No User Left Behind: Designing On-line Help that is Helpful” April 10, 2008

On-line help design often consists of window field definitions, tasks, and reference information single-sourced from large user guides. Although comprehensive, these strategies leave the user behind, stranded in a knot of See Also links. To successfully help users, technical communicators must understand what users really want and provide that information when they need it. This presentation walks through a proven, real-life help solution that is both user-centric and cost-effective, according to the speakers. Attendees can learn how to easily redesign their online help projects without changing their existing tools or processes.

The meeting at the Crowne Plaza North Dallas/Addison Hotel.14315 Midway Road, Addison, TX, is open to visitors. Registration and networking begin at 5:45 p.m. The Newcomers SIG meets at 5:45 p.m. Dinner is served at 6:15 p.m. with the program beginning at 7 p.m. and concluding at 8 p.m. Members and guest may stay after the program for additional networking.

With reservations, dinner and the program cost $20 for STC members and students with ID and $25 for non-members. Without reservations, costs for the dinner and program are $25 for members and $30 for non-members.

With reservations, the cost for “program only” attendance is $5 for STC members and $10 for non-members. Without reservations, costs for the program only are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. The program is always free to students with reservations and valid student IDs.

The registration and reservation deadline is 5 p.m. March 10. Register by visiting the LSC website at www.stc-dfw.org. Information on other charges is available at the LSC website.

Official Website: http://www.stc-dfw.org