Electronic Documentation Judges Orientation & Competition Info

1. Electronic Documentation Judges Orientation & Competition Info STC Boston/NNE Chapters October 24, 2001

2. Welcome! • Who are we? • Goals for this orientation • Explain the guidelines for filling out judging forms • Ensure that you are familiar with the criteria • Make you comfortable with the judging process • Give you strategies for working as a team and managing your judging time • Tell you what to expect at the competition • Give you practice judging

3. Why is judging important? • To improve the quality of our electronic documentation by: • Giving constructive feedback • Recognizing good work being done • All entrants deserve quality feedback • Judges benefit, too • Seeing the newest work • Networking with fellow online professionals

4. Inputs to Judging

5. How is this different from Pubs? • Younger discipline, changing every year • Easier to get distracted by new & glitzy • Fewer accepted conventions—depends on the needs of the audience • Not so much what’s right/wrong as how well it works for the user How is this similar to Pubs?

6. EDOC Awards • Distinguished: Mostly exceptional • Excellence: Very good to excellent • Merit:Very good with no major flaws No longer have a 4th level of award

7. Directions to Compaq110 Spit Brook RoadNashua, NH603-884-1010 (Security desk) • Take exit 1 off Route 3. • Turn left onto Spit Brook Road. • Go through one light. • At next light, bear right, as if going into Sheraton Tara. • At next light, go straight onto Compaq drive (Compaq sign on left). • Go up the hill and take the second left into Parking Lot B. • Take path at far end of the lot to the Compaq building.

8. Competition Day • Judges arrive, register, have coffee • Welcome, overview of the day • Teams meet, receive assignments • First judging session • Second judging session • Third judging session • Web judges arrive, working lunch • View Best of Show candidates (colored dots) • Team consensus meeting • Best of Show judging

9. Judging Tips • Plan how you will use your time • Check out other entries • Bring a laptop if you can • If you do, also bring an extension cord • Check entry numbers AND names • Judge PDFs by intended use: online or print

10. About the Criteria • Common set of standards for evaluating entries • Aid for writing feedback • Numbers are guidelines: averaging doesn’t work • Not all categories are equally important • Not all apply to every entry

11. Criteria: Information Design • Focus • Organization • Balance • Scope • Topic Length • Use of Design Elements • Graphics

12. Criteria: Writing • Clarity • Style • Important Terms and Acronyms • Grammar, Syntax, Punctuation, Spelling, Capitalization • Parallel Structures

13. Criteria: User Interface • Conformance to Platform Standards • Overall Screen Appearance • HTML Extensions: Tables, Forms, Frames, Scripts (web) • Address Information (web) • Resources Required to View (web) • Alternate Interfaces (web)

14. Criteria: Navigation Aids • Basic Navigation Elements: Index, Site Map, Search (as appropriate) • Ease of Use • User Orientation • Links • Finding Information

15. About the Scenario • Orients you to the entry • Tells you who the users are and what they need • Substitutes for the application • Should suggest tasks • Read it!

16. Judging Process • Read the scenario: audience, category • Look at the entry: check number & name • Best of Show candidates get a colored dot • Write up comments before team consensus • Be considerate of other judges—don’t stand behind and give running commentary! • Group assigns awards, suggests Best of Show

17. Looking at an Entry • Check name and entry number • Read the scenario–What is this? Who are the users? What will they need? • Look through the TOC and the index: what’s covered? • Find info on some tasks: be the user! • Study some topics closely • Write/rewrite your comments for this entry now (not during consensus judging)

18. Good Judging Sheets • You are the writer’s mentor! • Be tactful, objective, constructive • Judge each entry on its own merits • Comments, examples are more helpful than numbers • Write legibly with pen or use laptop • Resist the urge to craft your words! • Use bullets, abbreviate, be concise • Comments also help you during consensus • Examples...

19. Strategies for Filling Out Sheets • Scratch sheets, erasable pens • Summary sheets may be helpful • Extra copies of judging forms • Laptops are great! (bring floppy drive, power cord) • Diskette with form template, form available on web • File name = initials_entry #: JCMH_E105 • Printer will be available for you to print at end of day • Proof-read your comments (but don’t fuss)

20. Major and Minor Flaws • Major flaws • Interfere with the user’s ability to perform tasks/find info • Exist on global level, across entire product • Minor flaws • Cause problems users can easily overcome • Operate on a local level

21. Team Consensus Judging • Discuss each entry in detail • Make sure feedback on census form is complete • In case of disagreement, go back to entry together and evaluate using the criteria • Note changes of thinking on your form, don’t rewrite • Make your thinking clear on consensus form • Agree on award recommendations • Be sure to see Best of Show candidates • If you judge an extra entry, join the consensus judging for that entry

22. Lead Judge Checklist • Keep things moving: don’t let your team spend too much time rewriting! • Keep comments developmental • Move group toward consensus • Revisit the entry, if necessary • If deadlocked, call for another senior judge • Promote good feedback, especially if team disagrees

23. Group Consensus Judging • Team leader reports whether the entry should receive award, gives summary from completed judging sheets • Team leader comments on each candidate for Distinguished or Best of Show • All judges come to agreement on Best of Show • Best of Show candidates should be sensitive to conflict of interest • Group may need to look at entry again and discuss it

24. Practice Judging Exercise • 3700 POS Online Help

25. Thanks! • See you on Saturday, November 10 • Please fill out your orientation evaluation! • More questions? Send email or call us... • Carol Marsh Hobday • carol_hobday@pictel.com • 978-292-4962 • Joan Wotkowicz • joanw@viisage.com • 978-952-2261 • Helen Chen • helen.h.chen@east.sun.com • 781-442-8852