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We structure print documents

One of the most exciting benefits of the electronic media revolution is that corporations are beginning to rethink their print documents. Decision-makers now realize that their reports and manuals are not just "deliverables" submitted to complete the requirements of a contract. Instead, they realize print documents are tools.

We think of business documents as performance tools

We recently received a phone call: would we help write a document that helps users understand a product? "Sure" we answered. "We'd love that!" But when we inquired further we learned we would not get to talk to the people who were having difficulty using the product. Instead, we would talk to program managers. The managers would tell us what users thought. We decided not to take the job.

Why? We believe we cannot build effective print documents unless we understand who is using the document and the problems they encounter. We believe that unless we can gather information about how people perform on their job and use a document on the job, we cannot build a document they will use.

We follow a rhetorical process for structuring print

We build all print documents by asking (and exploring the answers to three essential "rhetorical" questions):

• who are you writing for?
• what will they be doing with the information?
• in what context will they be using the document?

We apply our process for different purposes

As readers, we want to use business documents as tools. Typically we want to find information and use it. We offer two different performance-based approaches to helping users complete their tasks. We build job aids (quick reference documents) to enable readers to grab information quickly. We also build templates to enable writers to build a structure they can use repeatedly. These standard structures enable their readers to find and use information quickly.

For more information on how we can help you structure your print documents, contact Info.Design at thom@thomhaller.com.

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