1. Should I User Third-Party Software In My Website?
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

“I make everything in-house!” As the owner of a web-design business, hearing this exclamation from competitors puts a smile on my face. As a web design instructor, however, I admonish my students for ...

2. Using Comic Books for Technical Instruction
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

... and fun, especially when you approach it as Google did when they created the documentation for their new web browser, Chrome. Google has always been a bit quirky. From their logo to the names of their ...

3. How to Gain Experience in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

How to Gain Experience in Technical Writing  This is another one of those questions I'm asked all the time by both students and young professionals starting out. In any industry its hard to break in, but ...

4. 5 Important Books in Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

5 Important Books in Technical Writing  There are hundreds of books on technical writing, and I know everyone has there favorite. However, I've singled out five that I think are most important to practicing ...

5. Quickly Getting into Technical Writing
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

Quickly Getting into Technical Writing  I don't know if it's the economy or what, but I've had student after student beating down my office door asking me how they can get into technical writing. Some ...

6. Using Old School Web Design
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

Using Old School Web Design  In her book, Retro, Elizabeth E. Guffey tries her best to define a pretty complicated concept. Tracing the history of both the term and the notion, she roughly suggests that ...

7. Web Design: Font and Page Size
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

I want to spend some time on a series of articles on web design usability practices. I call this series, the HTML Museum. I hope to update it with articles that address past web design practices and why ...

8. How to Use Metaphors in Web Site Design
(Web Design/Web Design Tips and Articles)

As I take a break from grading for a moment, I want to discuss an interesting technique in designing web sites. I read an article once that pointed out the usefulness of utilizing objects in the real world ...

9. Resume Guide Part 8
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

Are There Certain Types of Resumes for Certain Types of Jobs? Another good question from my students—and one I don’t blame them for asking. There are a lot of books out there with titles like, “Resumes ...

10. Resume Guide Part 1
(Resume Writing/Resume Writing Lessons)

If Interested, Please Send a Resume and Cover Letter… Ah, the dreaded resume. Isn’t it frustrating that standing between you and the job of your dreams is a ridiculous sheet of paper that barely even hints ...

11. Technical Communication and Programming: Using Writing Rules
(Technical Communication/Technical Communication Lessons)

This article is about better commenting practices for the purpose of—perhaps—helping some to better their programming practices. But before beginning, let me qualify the entire thing by saying that I am ...

12. Iterative Usability Testing
(Usability/Usability Tips, Lessons and Articles)

... on whether the user selected one of the choices offered or did something else. Hence, user data is constantly compiled to help them provide a better product (to see Google's discussion about user testing, ...