From deep within Big Blue comes CoScripter is an interesting Firefox plugin that can be used to automatically generate textual procedures for tasks that are completed on the Web (such as requesting paying a credit card bill or tracking a UPS package). The plugin records the steps required to complete a process as human-readable text, which can then be played back by any other person using the plugin.

This poses two significant benefits for technical communication:

  1. Though the current output is rough, it could easily be tweaked to use company styles when recording processes. This would streamline and simplify process writing tremendously, to the point that anyone who could complete the process could also write the process.
  2. If users had the CoScripter plugin, procedures could be easily made interactive. I’m imagining a help system that includes a “Do It” link on every procedure. Click the link, and the plugin runs through the steps of the procedure for you, eliminating any confusion.

Very impressive, and I am anxious to see how this technology will be used by the technical communicators.