What constitutes user-centered design of an index?
User-centered design, as opposed to a product-centered or organization-centered design, is as follows: Good indexers have a “crystal ball” in their heads that helps them apply audience analysis skills to their indexes, creating entries that end users are likely to use in searching for information. You need to know how novices, experienced users, and everyone in between will look for information — and provide appropriate entries for them. Tip: Novice users will look for main entries that point them to broad terms and concepts, and your subentries will provide them with “topic analysis” that helps them understand the finer points. More experienced users will look for main headings that take them directly to those finer points. Therefore, when you “double post” subentries as main headings, you are making your index more usable for advanced users. Should all types of technical publications be indexed? Which should and shouldn’t? How do you decide? Almost all technical publications should
