Joe Gollner of Gnostyx Research covers several real-life case studies in which electronic documents needed to be delivered in alternate ways. Most of us have a consumer point of view regarding the convenience and attractions of tablet devices like the iPad. There are many scenarios, from military to remote construction "off-the-grid" in which alternate deliver (e.g. B/W or grayscale) can work better. One typical example is that bright, colorful, backlight LED eReaders can destroy night vision for military team members or repair crews that work on night on wind generators. Review this content for an eye opening look at why black-and-white, vector art, gray scale, and yes, even PDF, can sometimes work better than "more engaging" full color content.

1. Getting Real: Electronic Documents in the Field
Joe Gollner | Director - Gnostyx Research |Twitter @joegollner | www.gnostyx.com | jag@gnostyx.com
Maxwell Hoffmann | Adobe Product Evangelist | Twitter @maxwellhoffmann | mhoffman@adobe.com
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.

2. About Adobe
 Founded in December 1982  74 Offices in 43 Countries
 $4.2 billion in revenue in FY2011  Corporate Headquarters in
San Jose, California
 More than 10,000 employees
 Adobe donates a minimum of 1%
of net income to philanthropy
We simplify complicated, inefficient, and expensive workflows.
We enable more engaging, compelling content.
We drive greater return from digital media and marketing investments.
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 2

3. About Maxwell Hoffmann
Maxwell Hoffmann
 Product Evangelist, Tech Comm Suite
 Former Product Manager and Sales Training Director
for Frame Technology
 15 years in translation industry, working
on “whatever documents walked through the door”
 Trained over 1,200 people in hands-on,
scalable publishing solutions
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 3

4. About Joe Gollner
Joe Gollner is the Director of Gnostyx
Research. He has been implementing large-
scale standards-based content management
systems for over twenty years. His role has
typically been that of the enterprise content
strategist and senior project manager. He now
provides objective support to organizations as
they venture into projects that will modernize
how they create, manage, publish and evolve
their content assets.
Gnostyx Research is an independent
consultancy that helps organizations to make
good choices early in their content management
projects. To support this mandate, Gnostyx
Research is developing resources that can be
used to accelerate projects and improve
investment success rates. These resources
include training materials, implementation
methodologies, test suites and design tools.
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 4

5. Topics
 Case Study:
A Digital Retreat from the Field
 Computers in the Field
 Paper in the Field
 eBooks in the Field
 Technical Information & eBooks
 XML
 Illustrations
 Parts Lists
 Future Directions
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 5

6. True Story: A Digital Retreat from the Field
 Documentation modernization project
 Military equipment
 Adopted XML for multi-channel delivery
 Decided to only implement electronic
maintenance aid
 Equipment deployed to Afghanistan
 Emergency project to get paper manuals
for use in harsh field conditions
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 6

7. Challenges Surrounding Computers in the Field
 Heavy
 Short battery life
 Never robust enough
 Expensive
 Never as usable as hoped
 Frequently dependent on continuous
connection or large data refreshes
 Displays not usable in bright light
 Displays destroy night vision in darkness
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 7

8. True Story: Command Post & Computers on Bottom of a Lake
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 8

9. Challenges Surrounding Paper in the Field
 Heavy and bulky
 Difficult to update
 Frequently out-of-date
 High rates of error in update insertion
 Often awkward to use in field conditions
 Wind & rain
 Traversing cross-references
requires multiple manuals to be open
 Advantages
 Incredibly robust
 No power requirements
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 9

10. True Story: NORAD Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line Maintenance
 Complex Radar Equipment
 Extremely remote locations
 Maintenance crews dispatched
by helicopter
 with paper reference libraries!
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 10

11. Practical Solution: eBooks for the Field
 eBook Readers
 Lightweight
 Long battery life
 Simple operation
 No light emissions
 Extremely low cost
 Effectively disposable
 eBooks
 Portable across multiple devices
 Provides redundancy
 Backup copy on your phone
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 11

12. Considerations: Technical eBooks & XML
 Goal: Generate highly usable reference library
 Provide Library Table of Contents
 Make it easy to select appropriate equipment configuration
 Accessing equipment-specific eBooks
 Requires no advanced behaviour from eReader
 Provide specialist Tables of Contents
 Illustrations
 Tables
 Error Codes
 Common Problems
 Intelligent source content produces
simplified information products
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 12

13. Considerations: Technical eBooks & Illustrations
 Vector line art illustrations
 Can be highly effective for e-Ink displays
 Well suited to step by step illustration
 Can be constructed by photo-tracing
 Can be constructed from source CAD data
 Can be rendered as reader friendly images
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 13

14. Considerations: Technical eBooks & Parts Lists
 Integration of e-Ink with touch
 Enables interactive Parts Lists
 Zoom-in on part
 Select part
 Call-up part information
 Part stock number
 Attaching parts
 Perform actions
 Explode sub-components
 View disassembly / assembly
 Order replacement part
 Record part replacement
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 14

15. Future Directions: Technical eBooks in your Pocket
 Convergence in technologies
 Uniting the benefits of:
 Interactive computer applications
 Paper manuals
 e-Ink eReaders
 Several considerations will persist:
 Intelligent source content will be
essential for building all the necessary
perspectives
 Topic orientation & text minimalism
will grow in importance
 Role of line art with some interactivity
will continue to grow in importance
 Voice control & text to voice will become
more widespread (hands-free operation)
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 15

16. Upcoming Adobe TechComm Webinars
 Char James-Tanny
 Part II: Creating an Accessible Layout – Tips to make documents more
accessible (structure, colors, fonts, more) (17 July, 10-11 AM PST)
 Part III: Developing Accessible Content – Tips on grammar, paragraph, and
sentence length, alternate text, and more (31 July, 10-11 AM PST)
 Future of TechComm series: Designing technical documentation for
tablets
26 June, Ellis Pratt, Cherryleaf
 Content Scenarios for Exploring New Information Products,
27 June, Joe Gollner
 Find Out How to Write XSLT Statements for XML to XML Transformations
in a 5-part eSeminars Series, 28 June to 19 July, Tom Aldous
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. 16

17. © 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.

18. Contact Information
Information
Joe Gollner Blog http://www.gollner.ca
Gnostyx Research Inc Twitter http://twitter.com/joegollner
Director Email jag@gnostyx.com
Web http://www.gnostyx.com
Maxwell Hoffmann Blog blogs.adobe.com/techcomm
Adobe Systems, Inc. Blog blogs.adobe.com/mbhoffmann
Product Evangelist Twitter twitter.com/maxwellhoffmann
Email n
mhoffma @adobe.com
Web www.adobe.com
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellhoffmann
Facebook As Maxwell Hoffmann
Facebook As Adobe Technical Communication Professionals
Group
Calendar of upcoming eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/xdzOYa
Previously recorded eSeminars: http://adobe.ly/qo3pzc
© 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential. 18

19. © 2012 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.