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.
> In my experience, technical publications metrics are
> baloney, BTW...Better: usability testing/surveys of
> users (internal and external).
Very likely the technical publications metrics were either invalid or not
used to produce a benefit.
I quite agree, there is no reason you can't do usability testing/surveys.
Those can be used as metrics. For example, you develop a usability survey
that you do after every release with the intent of using the data to improve
the product's usability. You measure that by whether the survey's results
consistently improve over time.
It doesn't have to be rocket science.