▪Include related information under one common heading. ▪Don’t think scientifically—think pragmatically. Even if there is some hierarchy, this doesn’t mean that your document must reflect it. Feel free to simplify. ▪Always question whether it’s actually important for the reader to understand the hierarchy of a particular relationship. Often, things are organized hierarchically within a product, knowing and understanding this hierarchy, however, is only important for developers but not for users. If the hierarchical organization isn’t important for users, don’t reproduce it in your document. ▪Instead of creating several topics, consider layering the same information within one single topic. This reduces the total number of topics (see Layer information). ▪When writing online help, use expandable sections. ▪When writing a printed manual, use subheadings. |