Further information on entries and winners appears in the Winter issue of Communicator of the same year. Online issues of Communicator are available to ISTC members only after logging in.
UK Technical Communication Awards
Ruth Howard from BIOVIA collects two awards
Overall award winner 2014
Ruth Howard, from BIOVIA, was also Overall award winner 2014 with the Insight Help Center entry.
What the judges said
“This is a very accomplished piece of work, ambitious in scope, consistent in presentation and writing style, easy to navigate, highly informative and comprehensive. Insight Help Center is our UK TC Award overall winner for 2014.”
Best use of single sourcing and multi-channel publishing
Ruth Howard, from BIOVIA, received an award for Best use of single-sourcing and multi-channel publishing with the Insight Help Center entry.
What the judges said
“Insight Help Center is delivered online only and is accessed directly from several entry points in the application; it is provided as both Web help and PDF. Updates to all documentation for a particular feature are achieved from one location with extensive use of snippets, conditional tags and variables. Ease of update assists ready maintenance and consistent content. This is an ambitious entry, which also incorporates ‘how to’ videos and allows customisation of information provided. The material is to a consistently high standard; the content is well organised and easy to read. Information is readily available in the form which best suits a user’s needs.”
Jennifer O Neill, UTC Fire & Security
Best procedural communication
Jennifer O Neill, from UTC Fire and Security, won an award for Best procedural communication with the Video BU Localisation Guide entry.
What the judges said
“The Video BU localisation guide is a very effective entry produced on a very limited budget. The guide is supplied as a PDF. It explains the way the organisation’s manuals and software are localised. The guide supplies sample forms and checklists – and useful supporting illustrations. The layout and presentation reinforce the content and aid comprehension.
The guide is supplied to localisation specialists, sales office staff and translators involved in the localisation process; for the first time the participants can see how the respective roles contribute; also they are given examples of issues that can arise. ”
Mercedes Clark-Smith, Sky IQ
Best use of digital technology
Mercedes Clark-Smith, from Sky IQ, received an award for Best use of digital technology with her Insight Anytime Portal entry.
What the judges said
“The Insight Anytime Portal demonstrates a novel approach to making reports more interesting. These reports are read by 3000 Sky staff in diverse roles. The team has customised SharePoint’s features to suit the business context. Editorial expertise is used to explain the content of technical documents – supplementing the standard offering to provide more value. News stories and features are combined with interactive reports and alerts for updates to topics.
The material supplied shows to good effect the integration of editorial comment alongside technical content. The service supports many users with different needs – and makes it personal.”