This group project involved the consolidation and restructuring of two user guides—a hardware user guide and a software user guide—into a unified single-source documentation system. These guides were provided in fragmented individual topic files with significant overlapping content. The project aimed to improve efficiency and consistency by leveraging the modular content techniques and structured authoring principles taught in my Digital Literacies class.
Background
The goals of the client included:
- updating content once across all related products and publications
- making content searchable online
- producing print for those customers who want it
- creating consistency across the different content creators/approvers who own different parts of the related products
- personalizing print content for different customers and product versions when possible
Our final deliverable was a proof of concept. We were to produce a single chapter and appendix of each guide, plus an online searchable knowledge base containing the same content.
Objectives
The primary objectives of this project were:
- To conduct a detailed audit of the fragmented user guide files, identifying redundant and overlapping content.
- To categorize and structure the content using DITA-based models: Tasks, References, and Concepts.
- To deliver distinct outputs: a web-based HTML5 knowledge base and two separate print-on-demand PDF guides.
- To create a scalable, reusable content framework that would support future documentation projects.
Outcome
The project achieved the following results:
- Content Streamlining: A comprehensive audit led to the elimination of unnecessary files and enhanced content clarity. In one chapter and appendix, approximately 65% of the content was reduced for efficiency.
- Structured Content: The guides were reorganized into DITA content models, ensuring consistency and reusability.
- Deliverables: A fully functional HTML5 knowledge base and two high-quality PDF guides were delivered, aligned with industry standards for usability.
- Operational Efficiency: The single-source framework reduced maintenance efforts, improved consistency, and facilitated quicker updates across outputs.
Approach
The project was completed using a systematic, multi-step approach informed by my Digital Literacies coursework and tools.
Accessing and preparing project files
First, I accessed fragmented topic files through MadCap Flare/Central, analyzing dependencies and organization. Then, I conducted a content audit using Microsoft Excel to catalog files, identify redundancies, and categorize content into DITA models (Tasks, References, and Concepts).
Developing a content model
In this phase of the project, I created a structured content model to define modular authoring rules, including metadata and keywords for improved searchability. I documented the framework in a spreadsheet for team reference and alignment.
Producing single-source deliverables
The final phase of the project was done in MadCap Flare/Central. I designed reusable templates for each DITA model using HTML and CSS.
Then, I created and configured table of contents (TOCs) for multiple outputs, including a web-based HTML5 knowledge base and two print-ready PDFs.
Finally, I leveraged multi-channel publishing features in MadCap Flare to generate all outputs from a single-source file.
Final Deliverable
Our final deliverable was a proof of concept that included a single chapter, an appendix, and an online searchable knowledge base using DITA principles.
