Overview:

Sandi Howell began her presentation with an introduction to document navigation, especially why it is important to today’s workers. She stressed that what is often interpreted as a literacy problem - “he or she can’t read” - is, in fact, a document navigation problem. Sandi explained that document navigation is actually a study in document structure – how documents are organized, what design features are evident and what “signposts” are available to help the reader with the navigation task.

Much of document navigation is related to the user’s ability to clearly identify what information is being sought; that is, what is the reader’s purpose for “entering” the document. Unless the reading task is understood, the document user will be unable to locate specific and relevant information. Once the purpose is defined, the document is skimmed to get a general impression of what the content is about. Readers must be prepared to ask questions and identify key words and phrases. Sandi emphasized that document users are responsible for making educated predictions about where information might be found and how best it might be accessed. The document is then scanned (read quickly to locate information). When information is located, it must be synthesized and summarized to ensure the original questions have been addressed. This is the point where reading comprehension is important. The reader then confirms his or her findings. Sandi tested delegates’ navigation skills by asking participants to locate information in the Globe and Mail, a task that proved daunting to most. However, once the newspaper’s organizational conventions were clarified and navigational strategies applied, delegate performance improved immensely.

Participants also learned that once they mastered the skill of navigation, they were able to use their newspaper more efficiently and feel more confident in approaching reading tasks.

Sandi spent some time addressing the document navigation issue from a trainer’s perspective – how can document navigation be taught? She suggested a number of strategies including the importance of using authentic workplace materials and integrating document navigation into technical training activities. She also discussed the importance of incorporating a learner-centred approach, one that encourages trainees to be involved at every stage of the training process. Sandi then reviewed some best practices for trainers and cited indicators of learning issues. She closed her session with a number of pointers to help trainers be more effective writers (from a technical perspective) and better document designers.

Sandi reiterated that navigation is a key skill and that it requires an understanding of document organization. It is definitely a teachable skill that must be addressed by trainers.