TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: FWD: How does one write a user's guide without users?(LONG)
Subject:Re: FWD: How does one write a user's guide without users?(LONG) From:Penny Staples <pstaples -at- airwire -dot- com> Date:Thu, 02 Mar 2000 09:08:23 -0600
I agree with Dan Brinegar's comments: you can go a long way by becoming "the user"
and trying to write task-oriented documentation. If you know the software well, you
can make some pretty educated guesses about who might need to use it, and what
tasks they might need to perform.
But isn't there someone in charge of marketing this product? Who decided to to try
to sell it to an outside audience? If there isn't at least some informal type of
marketing plan, I'd be worried. How does your company intend to try to sell this
product?
If the developers and management don't have a clear sense of who the product is
for, there's going to be trouble. Someone at your compnay needs set some direction.
Could be an opportunity for you to become a catalyst, anonymous. Or if no one at
your company seems to be setting direction, and you're not comfortable with pushing
for it, better make sure your resume is up to date.
