Tag: user research

Leveling an Editorial Eye on AI

Leveling an Editorial Eye on AI

Debra W Kahn (@debrawk.bsky.social)

A colleague and I once pioneered using levels of edits to help manage the workload through our content department at a large high-tech firm. We rolled out the concept and refined it over time, all in the name of efficiency and time to market. What we were really trying to do was save our sanity.

We failed.

Or rather, the whole endeavor of developing and releasing educational content through a single in-house unit failed. All the work—from course design to release—was eventually outsourced. But I learned something valuable from the experience. (And I hope others did, too.)

You can’t outsource quality.

I think that’s as true in today’s world of generative AI as it was “back in the day” when I was a technical editor. But how does editorial refinement work in today’s hungry market for “easy” content? Let’s look at how it used to work, how people would like it to work, and how it might work better.

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Sprint but Iterate: How Product Content Pros Can Adopt/Adapt Agility (Part 1)

Sprint but Iterate: How Product Content Pros Can Adopt/Adapt Agility (Part 1)

Debra W Kahn (@debrawk.bsky.social)

As product teams have adopted Agile development methodologies, product content professionals often find themselves stuck between agility and review cycles.

How can quality product content be developed in two-week sprints? Where do content strategy, content operations, and content standards fit into the constant evolution of software products? Where do the various disciplines within the content continuum fit in? (For example, UI, Help, API, and Services content?)  How can everyone work together to deliver product content that is consistent, useful, accessible – and agile?

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How to Develop a Combined Content Audit and Plan

How to Develop a Combined Content Audit and Plan

Debra W Kahn (@debrawk.bsky.social)

Conducting a comprehensive content audit, also known as an information survey, can be daunting, especially if your organization has a large inventory of content. But is an in-depth audit really needed for every situation?

You would conduct a full content audit if your organization was undergoing a significant transformation, such as a digital transformation, or as part of a continuous improvement effort. But sometimes the moment calls for something more targeted, less exhaustive–something that enables you to quickly develop a plan of action.

I refer to this kind of content audit as a project-based content audit or a combined content audit and plan.

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