New Directions 2015 – Changes in Content Best Practices
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The document presents a survey on information development trends in 2015, highlighting advancements in content conversion services and technology utilization. Key insights include the preference for electronic content delivery, the decline of PDFs, and increasing customer demands for more dynamic, searchable, and video content. It also outlines the challenges faced by organizations in adapting their content delivery methods and the need for better tools and resources to facilitate change.
New Directions 2015 – Changes in Content Best Practices
- 1. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 1 Information Development: Trends in the Industry 2015 JoAnn T. Hackos, PhD Director CIDM April 2015
- 2. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 2 Experience the DCL Difference DCL blends years of conversion experience with cutting-edge technology and the infrastructure to make the process easy and efficient. • World-Class Services • Leading-Edge Technology • Unparalleled Infrastructure • US-Based Management • Complex-Content Expertise • 24/7 Online Project Tracking • Automated Quality Control • Global Capabilities
- 3. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 3 Valuable Content Transformed • Document Digitization • XML and HTML Conversion • eBook Production • Hosted Solutions • Big Data Automation • Conversion Management • Editorial Services • Harmonizer
- 4. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 4 . . . Spanning All Industries • Aerospace • Associations • Defense • Distribution • Education • Financial • Government • Libraries • Life Sciences • Manufacturing • Medical • Museums • Periodicals • Professional • Publishing • Reference • Research • Societies • Software • STM • Technology • Telecommunications • Universities • Utilities
- 5. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 5 Who responded to the survey? 56% writers 38% managers 35% information architects 27% editors
- 6. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 6 What technologies? • Computer software – 59% • Computer hardware – 11% • Telecommunications – 7.8% • Engineering – 8.2% • Others in healthcare, finance, medical devices, semiconductor, machine industry, banking, aerospace, and more
- 7. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 7 Types of content
- 8. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 8 Return to Print • 98.73% of respondents plan to deliver content as hard-copy books by 2016 • Printing costs have decreased dramatically in China • Librarians applaud the decision
- 9. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 9 • Chinese printing is both ancient and beautiful • 2016 technical manuals will be printed in China in Chinese
- 10. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 10 • Experts contend that there will be no decrease in usability
- 11. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 11 Tools were a surprise! First Choice Tool Respondents XML editor for DITA or other 157 Microsoft Word 68 Adobe FrameMaker unstructured 50 HTML editor 31 Madcap Flare 27 Microsoft PowerPoint 18 Adobe InDesign 13
- 12. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 12 PDFs continue to decline 92% 2013 89% 2014 55% 2015
- 13. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 13 HTML continues strong 19% 2013 71% 2014 62% 2015
- 14. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 14 Social Media stronger than ever • Delivering more content • Dynamic delivery – 23% 43% • Mobile applications – 18% 34% • Mobile devices – 24% 40% • YouTube – 16% 25% • Wikis – 22% 27%
- 15. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 15 Customer demands • Customers are asking for • Searchable content– 68% • Learning videos– 55% • Mobile devices – 45% • Embedded help – 36% • Topic-based content – 34% • User-generated content – 33%
- 16. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 16 Publishing choices today
- 17. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 17 Publishing choices in 3 years
- 18. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 18 Electronic publishing • Electronic delivery of content continues to be preferred • 32% of respondents report that 90-100% of their content is delivered electronically • Only 8% of respondents deliver no content electronically • 33% claim less than half of their content is in electronic form in 2015
- 19. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 19 Why not? • It’s not a matter of cost • 76% claim that cost is not an issue • 24% claim that cost is an issue We’ve got the money!
- 20. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 20 Why not? • Our content is “sort of” ready • 44% Yes • 31% No • 25% Don’t know
- 21. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 21 If not … Why not?
- 22. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 22 What about the competition?
- 23. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 23 Shortcomings of current content
- 24. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 24 Major impediments to change Multiple groups control content delivery We lack time and resources Our content is specifically designed for print and PDF Our content is specifically designed for print and PDF We are writing books not topics Our current publishing tools do not meet our needs or requirements We lack management support for restructuring our content We have no reuse mechanisms in place (we still use cut-and- paste
- 25. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 25 Making a business case
- 26. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 26 Plans for the Future
- 27. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 27 What do you need to change? More people Better tools Convincing staff that change is necessary Compelling story to senior management Help selecting the right technology Outside expertise
- 28. © 2015 Comtech Services, Inc. and Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL), Inc. 28 Questions now? • Questions later: • joann.hackos@comtech-serv.com • mark.gross@dclab.com
Editor's Notes
- #2: Turning task workers into professionals Focusing on content and context rather than formal publication Facilitating communication – Mike Lewis’ example
- #8: Add to this information of every type and kind – reports, proposals, data sheets, specifications, service manuals, even blogs
- #12: First choice DITA XML, second choice Madcap Flare, third choice Adobe FrameMaker, Also RoboHelp, Markdown, Camtasia, Author-IT, Wordpress, Wikis
- #22: Insufficient staff time for converting in-house Insufficient budget to support conversion Lack of knowledge as to how to start a conversion project Prior negative experience with effectiveness of automated conversion Legal requirements to deliver paper, PDF is considered good enough; need to develop new content; don’t have enough people to do that. Manager doesn’t understand; fear of change; resistance to change; lack of understanding that a wiki is not a content management system, and cut and paste is not reuse
- #24: Search needs improvement 68.50% – Content doesn't support customer needs 48.35% Customers want own PDFs 44.69% Need faceted search 39.56% Customers can't find content 30.04% Customers want videos 27.84% Customers want topics 21.61% Better info on the web
- #26: Change now or be left behind
- #27: Develop and convert everything in house 56.74% Hybrid approach…combination of in-house teams and outsourced services 41.40% Get training for our in-house team 29.77% Outsource the development of new delivery mechanisms and legacy data conversion