Metric and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) assessments are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of a DITA index. These metrics help you gauge how well the index serves its purpose. Here are key KPIs to consider:

Accuracy: Measure the accuracy of index entries by assessing how well they match the content. Calculate the percentage of correct index entries to total entries.

Relevance: Evaluate the relevance of index terms by tracking the number of times users click on index entries when searching for information. Higher click-through rates indicate greater relevance.

Usability: Conduct user surveys or usability testing to assess how easy it is for users to find the information they need using the index. Analyze the time it takes users to locate information.

Completeness: Measure the completeness of the index by evaluating the coverage of terms and concepts. Track the number of terms indexed in relation to the total number of terms available in the content.

Engagement: Analyze user interactions with the index. Tools like Google Analytics can provide insights into how users navigate and interact with the index.

Example:

You are evaluating the effectiveness of a DITA index for a software user manual. You find that the accuracy is 95%, indicating that most index entries are correct. The relevance is measured through click-through rates, and you observe a high rate of 80%, showing that users find the index entries relevant to their queries. Usability testing shows that users can locate information quickly using the index. The completeness metric is at 90%, demonstrating good coverage. Google Analytics reveals user engagement with the index, such as how often users use it and how they navigate through it.

<!– Example of KPIs for DITA index evaluation –>

<index>
  <title>Software User Manual Index</title>
  <indexterm>
    <primary>Installation Guide</primary>
  </indexterm>
  <indexterm>
    <primary>User Preferences</primary>
  </indexterm>
  <indexterm>
    <primary>Troubleshooting</primary>
  </indexterm>
</index>

In this example, you can use these KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of the DITA index in the software user manual.