Upcoming event:
I'm giving an API documentation workshop in Los Angeles, California, on January 23, 2020. Check it out on EventBrite. Input needed:
I'm gathering data about trends in developer documentation for 2020. If you write docs for developers, please take this survey. (You can view the ongoing results here.)How To Create a Usable Index — Interview with John McGhie
Download MP3 File
Duration: 36 min.
John McGhie, technical writer and Microsoft MVP from Sydney, Australia, explains how to create a usable index for your help material.
In this interview, John covers the following topics:
- Deciding whether to create an index
- Skills required to create an index
- Steps in creating an index
- Audience considerations in creating an index
- Time required for creating an index
- Pitfalls writers face when creating an index
- Myths of the concordance file method for creating indexes
- Strategies for entries and subentries
- Methods for updating an index
- Determining whether your index is usable
For additional information, see the following:
- John McGhie's bio
- John's helpful article on indexing that I mention in the podcast
- The Word MVP home page
** To contact John, you can e-mail him at [email protected].
