Adobe Tech Comm Survey Findings. Explore key trends shaping the Technical Communication industry

Transcription

1 Explore key trends shaping the Technical Communication industry

2 Adobe Tech Comm Survey Findings The people The edition of the world s biggest Tech Comm survey is powered by respondents from 30+ countries working in small, medium and large enterprises across 30+ industry verticals. Our participants represent a good mix of technical writers, documentation managers, information developers, IT managers and other roles % 8% % 7% 30+ 5% Respondents Countries Industry Verticals Technical Writers Information Developers and Architects Technical Documentation Managers Executives (Directors & Vice Presidents) UI / UX Designers & Marketing Professionals IT Managers Self Employed Others 9% elearning Specialists 2

3 Structured authoring adoption Grew from 20% to 50% over the last 5 years Structured authoring adoption hit the halfway mark in Organizations with employees have larger adoption of structured authoring as compared to unstructured % 50 46% 50% 20% 23% 17% 16% % 28% 34% 31% 15% 5% 11% 12% 11% 08% % ,000 10,000+ Structured % Unstructured % 3

4 Popularity of XML standards DITA takes the lead 44% of respondents currently use DITA while 31% plan to do so. Custom XML is the second most popular choice at 41%. Currently Planning to use % 0% 50% DITA 31% 44% CUSTOM XML 6% 41% DOCBOOK 3% 8% S1000D 6% 5% ATA 1% 4% OTHERS 4% 13% 4

5 Migration to structured authoring Change management makes it easier From conversion of existing content to training and demonstrating ROI, change management plays a critical role while migrating to structured authoring. Content Conversion Content Standardization Learning Structured Authoring Tools Business Case to Management XML Understanding Educate the staff Familarity Clean up and make it as structured as possible Automation / Scripts / Outsource Way more time consuming than all estimates Set up rules across organization Buy-in from all writers Naming conventions need to be organized Re-use easier said than done Trainer Tools are more powerful now Learn and practice is the key Demonstrate ROI/cost savings Time savings with content re-use Initial investment very high Working knowledge very helpful Internet / YouTube / training videos helpful 5

6 Structured authoring advantages The many benefits of making the move to structured Content consistency, ease of content updation, and content reuse are the top benefits realized by adopters of structured authoring. Document consistency Ease of updating/maintenance of content Content re-use Easier publishing to multiple formats Reduced content errors Savings in content development time Savings in DTP (Desktop Publishing) costs Translations costs savings 6

7 Platform preference Desktops, the first choice of content creators While the world consumes content on a range of devices, desktops remain the top choice for creation. Web based authoring 2% 26% 98% Overlap Desktop and Web Desktop based authoring 7

8 Output formats Everyone still loves PDF Over 90% of people choose PDF as the publishing format of choice followed by HTML5 which is fast becoming a favorite. 6% 5% 5% 6% 86% 17% 1% 3% 8% 9% 48% 1% 5% 4% 4% 13% 16% 78% 72% 36% 4% 5% 4% 17% 3% 1% 3% Eclipse EPUB HTML/ CHM Java Help Kindle Mobile Apps PDF Online PDF Print PDF Overall HTML5 Sales Force Knowledge Web Help Wiki Oracle Help Currently publishing Planning to publish 8

9 Mobile publishing HTML5 is the format of choice for mobile With over 54% share, HTML5 clearly dominates when it comes to content experiences on mobile devices, followed by Mobile Apps at 30%. 60% 50% 54% 40% HTML5 30% 32% 32% 30% EPUB 20% 28% Mobile Apps 12% 11% 11% 8% 21% 8% Kindle 0% 5% 3% 3%

10 Trending - Chatbots Minimal chatter when it comes to chatbots While chatbots have become a buzzword in almost every industry, they are yet to make any significant inroads when it comes to technical communication. 6% Currently using 72% 22% Exploring/Planning to use these No plans as of now 10

11 Trending - AI / ML Full of potential, but still early days Most respondents were of the opinion that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are still in an experimental/learning stage. What some of the respondents had to say about AI / ML: Hope to provide self-service wizards in a few years. Building ground up with open source. Initial research few years back was not helpful. Trying chatbot for our KB portal / FAQs. Support tickets. Working on some tagging based on machine learning but very rudimentary. In infancy. Long way to go. Probably few years down the line. 11

12 CMS usage The top three uses for CMSs are as a shared repository, for version control and publishing A notable finding is that the percentage of people using a CMS picks up from 70% to 78% if they author structured content. Workflows for which CMS is being used Workflows for which CMS is being used (with structured authoring) 44% As a shared repository 47% 37% Version control 41% 35% Publishing 40% 29% CMS based authoring 38% 25% Workflow management 28% 25% Hosting of content 26% 22% Collaboration with SMEs 23% 30% Don t use a CMS 22% 12% Translation 17% Reporting/Audits 13% Others 6% 12

13 Future of content Marketing and technical content are coming together Content reuse, sharing of common assets, better search integration and a common taxonomy are the biggest drivers. 19% 18% 18% Content reuse across both 14% 11% 9% 9% Sharing of common assets Better search integration across both content Common taxonomy across technical and marketing content None applicable Integrated analytics 2% Integrated view to show both technical and marketing content together Others 13

14 Adobe Tech Comm Survey Findings Adobe Tech Comm Survey Findings For any queries, please reach out to us at Adobe Systems Incorporated 345 Park Avenue San Jose, CA USA This product may integrate with or allow access to certain Adobe or third-party hosted online services ( Online Services ). Online Services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms of use and Adobe s online privacy policy ( Online Services are not available in all countries or languages, may require user registration, and may be discontinued or modified in whole or in part without notice. Additional fees or subscription charges may apply. Adobe, the Adobe logo, FrameMaker and Experience Manager are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The names and logos referred to in the sample artwork are fictional and not intended to refer to any actual organization or products Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.