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Re: 2014 version of 1980s "quick reference card" ?

Subject: Re: 2014 version of 1980s "quick reference card" ?
From: "Monique Semp" <monique -dot- semp -at- earthlink -dot- net>
To: "TechWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 07:12:46 -0800

The quick reference card is still a very, very valid and well received
medium. There are companies like Custom Guide that do lots of QRCs and
sites such as Refcardz still doing quite well.

Indeed! And for an excellent take on a modern version, with design considerations for specific authoring tools, I'd recommend reading Tom Johnson's advice on this. He's the author of the "I'd Rather Be Writing" blog, and has given presentations on just this subject.

Here're good links to get you started:
* http://idratherbewriting.com/2009/04/10/quick-reference-guides-short-and-sweet-documentation/
* http://idratherbewriting.com/quickreferenceguides/

I've wanted to adapt some of his designs, and whenever I've talked about a Quick Reference with clients, they're always very enthusiastic. And it sounds like your audience would be quite ideal for this.

The hardest thing when authoring them is ruthlessly pruning the amount of explanatory text. I've found that screenshots/visuals with callouts, especially sequentially numbered so as to summarize a bunch of steps in the space of just one screenshot/visual, works very well.

HTH,
-Monique



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References:
2014 version of 1980s "quick reference card" ?: From: Alison Wyld
Re: 2014 version of 1980s "quick reference card" ?: From: Gregory P Sweet

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