WTD Episode 33: Simplified user interfaces, with Anton Bollen

One of the most challenging and frustrating things about being a tech writer is managing screenshots in your product documentation. How many times have you needed to take complex screenshots of your product and meticulously marked them up with callouts only to be told that a field has changed and you need to do everything again? It’s so frustrating and demoralizing as a writer because it feels like wasted effort. What if there was a way to create screenshots that could withstand the rapid iterations of a product under development while still conveying valuable meaning to your readers. Today we’re joined by Anton Bollen from TechSmith who explains how we can do this using low-detail screenshots, aka simplified user interfaces, that let you focus your users' attention on just the bits of the interface that matter.

Samples

Here’s a sample simplified user interface:

Here’s a predictive eyetracking report that shows the user’s focus areas for the above screens:

Resources

• Simplified Graphics Slack group at simplifiedgraphics.slack.com. Open to anyone who is interested in this discussing this topic, who wants to share examples or who is looking for inspiration. (Note: This link expires on February 18, 2021. Contact a.bollen@techsith.com afterwards for an invite.)

• Steve Stegelin Talk at WTD Portland 2018

• Article about Simplified Graphics written by Anton B.

• Snagit Tutorial: How to Simplify Your Screenshots

• Reference to cognitive loads in line drawings vs. photos – Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials, by Ruth Clark and Chopeta Lyons

Hosts for this show

---

Subscribe to the WTD Podcast

iTunes | Stitcher | Youtube | Slack | Fire TV | Android TV | RSS | Email