Making Documents VISIBLE
“If you want people to use documents effectively, start by making the documents easy to use.”
The dream of the paperless office is not dead, but how often are documents printed simply because it is easier to read paper than some computer screens? The word-processed document evolved from the manual electric typewriter, and printing documents followed that trend.
The web-browser developed from the need to meet the flexibility of the internet, the beauty of computer screen layouts, and the potential offers by hyperlinking files and bookmarks.
A technical document in a word-processed format is often inflexible on a common computer screen, hopeless on many tablets, and impossible on a smart-phone.
For technical documents, the internet browser is an under-used resource. Formatting a technical document to make good used of browser technology can make a difference; reduce the size of the page to be read, improve the legibility of text, and assist the reader use the document better with hyperlinked content.
The ‘Making Documents VISIBLE project seeks to show how technical documents and web-browser technology can be combined effectively to make better use of technical documentation and end the habit of lazy printing.