Introduction
Sometimes, conversations fuel ideas. Not too long ago in an internal meeting, the idea of having an O2 Glossary came up. Rob Gauthier brought up some good points on the topic.
The end-result was a doc defect that suggested possible glossary terms based on word counts in some tech docs. We'll see what comes of it.
But what was more of interest to me was the possibility of the features of technical document glossary regards of product. This article discusses what could be incorporated into this "bright shiny object."
What makes up a good glossary?
I looked for suggestions and came up with
-Other ideas are
-Data is well-organized
-Data is searchable on many platforms including mobile
-Have a system that easily imports data, is scalable and stable, and can be easily maintained.
-Export to popular document formats for personal reference.
- Display results in popular languages
There are many other functions and characteristics that could be incorporated!
Glossary wish list
Some of the functions that I have yet to see incorporated are the following:
- Moving beyond static text, spreadsheets, the glossary should be kept in a database that is secured but internet accessible.
- Has a reverse search by possible definitions and returns a series of terms.
- Has a graphical option to show the term(s) in architecture/component. This is used to show relationship with others
- Has an option to list glossary term definition misconceptions
- Has definitions based on type of user. (Example: Novice may want a general definition. While an expert desires a granular one.)
Your turn
- I gave my opinion. What features would you want to see in a software product glossary?
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