Re: Is Search replacing the TOC and Index?

Subject: Re: Is Search replacing the TOC and Index?
From: Roberta Hennessey <rahennessey -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 17:10:12 -0400

Just a thought, removing these options could impact the accessibility of
the document.


On Thu, Jul 10, 2014 at 5:04 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>
wrote:

> Index, yes, that pretty much already happened.
>
> Most docs are still organized by a hierarchical tree, which is used to
> generate PDF bookmarks and online help navigation (as well as
> conventional front-matter TOCs with page numbers if useful). I use
> search more often, but I still want those navigation options.
>
> On Thu, Jul 10, 2014 at 12:36 PM, Andrew Harvie <withanie -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
> > Based on purely anecdotal evidence, I suspect that many of the people
> using
> > my documentation are using the Search function to the exclusion of all
> > other means of navigation. Heck, even I turn to the search before the
> > table of contents.
> >
> > This might be evidence that I've created a lousy TOC, but I wonder if it
> > isn't also a trend in how people look for information. I've heard that
> many
> > people will enter URLs into the Google search field instead of the
> address
> > field and will search for what they already know how to find.
> >
> > Just wondering if this is anyone else's experience, and if so, what if
> > anything, are you doing to improve the search experience for your
> readers?
> >
> > My HAT gives me the option of creating context filters for the search,
> and
> > I'm considering a smallish number of filters that more or less duplicate
> > the major sections of the TOC, which is already organized primarily by
> user
> > task. Or, perhaps the filters should be feature-based rather than
> > task-based?
> >
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References:
Is Search replacing the TOC and Index?: From: Andrew Harvie
Re: Is Search replacing the TOC and Index?: From: Robert Lauriston

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