One year Information Architecture Community Group

[SanNo]

In January we celebrated 1 year since launching the Information Architecture Interest Group in the SAP Community.

With the support of our group of more than 10 authors from the field of user assistance and user enablement we were able to share 27 Blog posts.

We would like to share with you some insights into the top 10 blog posts in 2023:

Modern World Magic? A Closer Look at Large Language Models and Their Impact on Technical Writing (Sabine Loss)

“In this blog post, Sabine delves into the workings of large language models, such as GPT-3, and their implications for modern-world applications. It remarks on the strides made in the AI field and how these advancements could reshape industries by automating creative tasks, enhancing decision making, and transforming interfaces whilst underscoring the importance of understanding a model's strengths, limitations, and potential risks."

Become the Editor You’d Want to Work With! (Kieran Turley)

“If you want to gain insights into the editing world, read Kieran’s blog post where he emphasizes the importance of being an understanding and effective editor in creating successful content. The key points include recognizing your biases, understanding your audience, having clear communication with your writers, and taking time for self-improvement to create a better working relationship and produce higher quality work.”

 How to Create a Style Guide That Never Goes Out of Style! (Vaishnavi Eashwernath)

“Vaishnavi shares a conversation with two colleagues from SAP User Assistance who work on the SAP Style Guide for Technical Communication about the importance of creating a timeless design style guide for a company to maintain consistency in branding and user experience. They provide a detailed guide on how to achieve this, including steps like setting clear design principles, going beyond visual design, keeping it flexible and easily accessible, involving your team in its creation and regularly updating it.”

 “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose…” (Kieran Turley)

“In this blog post Kieran discusses the importance of accurate naming and terminology in the field of information architecture, arguing that it aids in clear communication and understanding among teams. It also highlights the role of information architects in defining and standardizing terminology, and ensuring everyone involved in a project is on the same page using a common language.”

Common mistakes in technical writing: #3 - Beating Stephen King Syndrome (Jordan Stanchev)

“This blog post of Jordan highlights the importance of avoiding excessive wordiness, a trait often referred to as 'Stephen-King-Syndrome' in technical writing. It emphasizes that technical writing should be clear and concise without unnecessary embellishment or repetition, and that following these principles increases the effectiveness of communication between the writer and the audience.”

Start Building User-Focused Documentation Structures (Kieran Turley) 

“Within this blog post Kieran offers crucial insights into building user-focused documentation structures to simplify the use and comprehension of complex technologies like SAP. It highlights the need for intuitive document architecture and using corporate jargon and abstract descriptions with caution, as it emphasizes that any created documentation should align with the user's language and context to ensure comprehensive understanding.”

Microlearning : Learn More, Read Less (Jumi Bhattacharyya)

“This blog post discusses the concept of Microlearning, a technique of delivering learning in small, specific, and manageable nuggets that is being embraced by SAP for its customers and employees. By using this method, it allows for improved knowledge retention, increased speed of learning, enjoyment and sustainability of learning using different formats such as videos, quizzes, and infographics.”

Using Design Thinking When Creating User Assistance (Sophia Marx)

“In this blog post Sophia explains the process of Design Thinking in creating user assistance for SAP products, with a focus on empathy, defined goals, prototyping, and testing. It emphasizes how understanding user needs can lead to the development of effective and efficient solutions, pushing away from linear processes towards user-centered approaches.”

 What is Reference Topic Type in DITA XML? (Jordan Stanchev)

 “Jordan provides an overview of DITA XML and its benefits. He provides diverse examples of where the reference topic type can be used, such as glossaries, syntax details about commands, guidelines, checklists, and databases.”

 Will Robots Take My Job? (Sophia Marx)

 “In this blog post Sophia questions the potential for automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics to eliminate jobs, emphasizing that while they will replace some tasks, they will also create new jobs. She argues that the real question lies in how to prepare for a future where a coexistence between humans and machines is inevitable, suggesting that lifelong learning and adaptability will be crucial to thriving in this new job market.”

Special thanks to all our authors that contributed in this first year @SophsterM, @GabiBuchner, @KristinaKunad, @NidhiPrashant, @Jumi, @JimSpath, @SabineLoss, @Alice_Ying, @KieranTurley, @Vaishnavi, @Jordan_Stanchev  

We’d love to hear about the topics you enjoyed the most and the blog posts you’d see this year as we continue this journey in the Information Architecture Interest Group.

The Information Architecture Community Group team 

[LauraCherry]

Thanks for the great blogs!

[Vaishnavi]

Thank you for the mention Sandra! I gained valuable insights and thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Andrea Gocke and Doug Savage for the blog post on style guides.🙂

[SophsterM]

Wow! Congrats!