A Case of Content Management Enabling a User-Centered Design

摘要

Single-source content management (SSCM) has been hailed as a paradigm-changing technology for developing and delivering technical information. Efficiency is the primary driver of SSCM adoption and may often overshadow a focus on meeting users' needs. This paper tells the story of a technical communication workgroup that found a way to satisfy both business goals at once. Led by engineers who were informed and guided by user-centered information from a technical communicator, the knowledge-management group at Automated Logic Corporation, selected and adapted an out-of-the-box SSCM solution—AuthorIT—to bring content for documentation, training, and technical support into a single database. Their strategy for implementing SSCM enabled them to create a more usable tech support website while also achieving substantial gains in productivity, improving their company's bottom line.