How are glossary and definition links validated and tested for consistency and usability in DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Validating and testing glossary and definition links for consistency and usability in DITA is crucial to ensure that technical documentation is accurate, clear, and user-friendly. This process involves several steps to verify that the links function as intended and that the terminology remains consistent throughout the documentation. One important aspect of validation is checking the glossary map and ensuring that it contains accurate definitions for all glossary terms. Each definition should be reviewed for correctness, relevance, and currency. This step helps maintain the accuracy of the glossary terms.

Consistency is another vital aspect of validation. Authors and document managers must test how glossary terms and their definitions are used in different topics and across various documents. This involves cross-referencing glossary terms and definitions, ensuring that the links are correctly established and remain intact when content is reused or translated into other languages. Automated tools or scripts can assist in identifying broken links and inconsistencies.

Usability testing is essential to assess how well readers can access and understand glossary terms and definitions. This can involve user testing where actual readers navigate the documentation to verify that they can easily access and comprehend the glossary entries. Additionally, gathering feedback from users can provide valuable insights into the usability of glossary links and the clarity of definitions, enabling further refinements for a better user experience.

Example:

Let’s consider an example where glossary and definition links are being tested for consistency and usability in DITA:


<!-- Glossary Map (glossary.ditamap) -->
<map>
  <title>Technical Glossary</title>
  <topicref href="definitions/term1.dita">
    <keydef keys="term1" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <topicref href="definitions/term2.dita">
    <keydef keys="term2" format="dita" scope="local"/>
  </topicref>
  <!-- Add more terms as needed -->
</map>

<!-- DITA Topic (topic.dita) -->
<topic>
  <title>Usability Testing for Glossary Links</title>
  <body>
    <p>During usability testing, readers are presented with content using glossary terms and definitions. They are asked to interact with the links and provide feedback on the clarity and effectiveness of the glossary links.</p>
    <p>This feedback is then used to refine the glossary terms and definitions and ensure that they meet user expectations and needs.</p>
  </body>

By testing glossary and definition links in this manner, technical documentation creators can enhance the consistency and usability of their content, making it more valuable and accessible to readers.