Sarah "Sadukie" Dutkiewicz

If your enterprise application “works” but users still struggle to get through their day, the issue probably isn’t training or performance. It’s design. I recently published a deep dive on task-centered enterprise UX—a practical approach to designing systems that help users focus on the work that matters. This isn’t about “delight” or polish. It’s about what changes when you design around tasks instead of tables, screens, or features. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gyWeVgPX #EnterpriseUX #TaskCenteredUX #UXDesign #EnterpriseSoftware #ProductDesign #UserExperience #DesignLeadership

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In a time before #markdown and #HTML technical writers used troff “dot commands” to write all kinds of professional documents, including patent applications, technical reports, and academic papers. While groff (modern version of troff) is niche for today's #technicalwriting I still love writing with it for some things. Recently, I explored how to use refer, the preprocessor to insert citations and references. It's super easy! Just add a new file that tracks the sources you might use, then reference them in your document with square brackets. refer does the rest for you automatically. For example, Jones wrote that citations provide authenticity. .[ Jones .] Here's a demonstration, using both footnotes and APA-style end notes: https://lnkd.in/g4S2Fchu “Making references in groff” 🌐 technically we write . com

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Attended an interesting presentation hosted by ATD - Central Indiana Chapter on storytelling in Instructional Design today. The facilitator, Andrew Black, PhD is an instructional designer and playwright. I've always included scenarios/stories in content, but he provided a framework for better and more engaging storytelling (such as having a protagonist). It was very interesting stuff that I am likely to use in future Kepware, a PTC Technology courses.

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I love how The Drop Times describes this as “Older Interview. Evergreen insights.” In the technology field, many articles are about the latest hype, but I believe it’s essential for professionals to still read about core concepts, foundational info, etc. so they can discern which “hype” to apply to their work.

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Research specifically focused on impact engineering methodology found that projects with documented requirements and specifications before development were 6.5x more likely to succeed than those rushing into development without proper planning phases. Read more 👉 https://lttr.ai/AgfSB #agiledevelopment #webdevelopment #nonprofit

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Part 3: Here's a number that should concern every university administrator reading this: $20,000 to $60,000. That's what it costs to manually remediate a single course for ADA accessibility compliance. Per course. And institutions have hundreds — sometimes thousands — of courses that need to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements under federal deadlines. Now here's the part that frustrates me: SCORM — the standard that governs how almost all of this content is packaged and delivered — says absolutely nothing about accessibility. Nothing about captions. Nothing about alt text. Nothing about screen reader compatibility. Nothing about cognitive load or reading level. Accessibility is treated as someone else's problem. An afterthought. Something you bolt on after the content is already built. And that's exactly why it costs $60K per course to fix. What if accessibility was structural instead? In the standard I've been outlining in this series, every content object must declare an accessibility profile: → Caption availability and accuracy → Alternative text coverage → Screen reader compatibility status → Cognitive load indicators → Reading level → WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance status Content that doesn't meet baseline requirements isn't conformant. Period. But here's where it gets elegant — accessibility feeds directly into adaptive delivery. The standard defines a device capability handshake. When content is requested, the system knows: 📱 Phone with VoiceOver active → prioritize audio content with full screen reader optimization 💻 Laptop on high-speed wifi → serve the interactive video with embedded knowledge checks ⌚ Smartwatch between classes → deliver a 90-second audio micro-summary with haptic quiz prompts 📲 Tablet on cellular → lightweight HTML5 experience, not streaming video Same source content. Same learning objectives. The experience adapts to the device AND the learner's accessibility needs simultaneously. Accessibility and personalization become the same mechanism. This isn't just better design. It's economic survival for institutions facing compliance deadlines with unsustainable manual remediation costs. A standard that builds this in from day one doesn't just save money. It serves learners the way they deserve to be served. Final post coming soon: the analytics model, cultural localization, and an invitation to build this together. Part 1: https://lnkd.in/eakiFazz Part 2: https://lnkd.in/eDQ__dDm #Accessibility #WCAG #HigherEducation #ADA #EdTech #UniversalDesign #InclusiveLearning #FutureOfLearning

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Is managing Moodle testing your patience? I’ve seen it happen so many times: Pages crawl when dozens of students log in at once. Upgrades break because the server environment isn’t in sync. Emails don’t send, leaving teachers and students frustrated. That’s where I come in. I’ve been providing hosting and admin support for Moodle for years, optimizing servers, handling tricky version upgrades, and fixing the hidden bottlenecks that make learning grind to a halt. The result? A fast, secure, reliable Moodle site that “just works,” so educators and organizations can focus on what matters most—teaching. If your Moodle feels more like a full-time job than a learning tool, let’s talk. #Moodle #EdTech #LMS #Elearning #Hosting

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Ian Lloyd smashing it again with another free accessibility bookmarklet. You can use it to test WCAG 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), as the focus indictor stays visible even when behind other elements. #accessibility #a11y

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Hey, there is a new Chax Chat episode! We posted a day early because it was just that good! Title: Challenges and Considerations for Excel and Accessibility In this episode Chad Chelius, ADS and Dax Castro, ADS tackle real-world challenges in document accessibility, focusing on tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat. We explore common issues with tables and cells, such as merged headers and layout complexities, and share practical tips for ensuring accessibility across different formats. The conversation includes strategies for managing accessibility in spreadsheets and PDFs, highlighting the nuances of remediation. Plus we are introduced to Chad’s cat, more Koi talk, and how to snag a Chax freebie. Skip ahead to 5:56 if you just want to skip the banter and get right to the Excel goodness. btw... there are more than 60 hours of content in our podcast archives. If you are a new listener, there are some amazing episodes in there. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gKvchRtn or listen on any streaming platform - Chax Chat #Accessibility #PDF #ChaxChat #Microsoft #Excel #Adobe

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🎯 “Design is doing its job when learners don’t notice it — they just get it.” In one of my recent eLearning projects, I redesigned a technical module that had a 38% drop-off rate. The content was solid — but the layout was dense, the flow unclear, and learners felt lost. Here’s what I changed: 🎨 Applied a cleaner visual hierarchy — so learners could “scan and absorb” 🧩 Chunked content into scrollable interactive tabs — no more cognitive overload 🗣️ Added subtle microinteractions — to guide, not distract 🦾 Built it accessibly — keyboard-friendly, contrast-checked, and screen-reader ready ➡️ Result? 86% completion rate, 20% increase in quiz scores, and actual feedback like: “This made a complex topic feel effortless.” 🧠 Design isn’t decoration — it’s strategy in pixels. If you’re working on learning design, I’d love to hear: 👉 What’s one visual trick or layout shift that’s actually worked for your learners? #eLearning #InstructionalDesign #UXDesign #LearningExperienceDesign #GraphicDesign #Accessibility

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I've never met anyone in the digital education space that's as well rounded and informed; particularly about applying technical standards (WCAG) to education as Susi Miller. Definitely worth a listen.

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