RE: Re: Any more ideas on demonstrating the documentation process ?

["MacLemale, Laura A. (LNG-MBC)" <Laura -dot- A -dot- MacLemale -at- bender -dot- com>]

Hello,

GEORGE Grider 901/360-4002 <ggrider -at- fedex -dot- com> asked:

<snip> 
> Has anybody else had experience in allowing managers to wear the
> scribe's hallowed hat? I'm looking for a 10-15 minute demonstration. The
> airplane idea sounds pretty good, but I fear some of them wouldn't know
> how to build such an exotic toy (i.e. non-electonic). What other simple
> household gadgets might there be that would work on a conference room
> table? Anybody else have experiences to report?

The simplest example of this that I've witnessed is one that doesn't involve
any props (other than a volunteer). 

In a college course on UI design and tech writing last year, the professor
had a student volunteer walk across the room, while the rest of us
documented the action(s)involved (i.e., lift right foot, extend it to the
floor, etc.). 

Then, we shared our ideas, attempting to create one list of instructions to
a person walking across the room. The same student volunteer would act out
each single action as we read them aloud. According to our initial
instructions, what he was doing could not be considered walking!  

Basically the process was intended to show us the difficulty of accurate
technical writing and to remind us the necessity of choosing our words
carefully. 

Don't know if these comments are helpful to you, but the example was
certainly memorable and illuminating for us!

Happy Monday,

Laura A. MacLemale
Technical Communications Coordinator
Matthew Bender, part of LEXIS Publishing
1275 Broadway
Albany, NY 12204
Phone (518) 487-3465
Fax (518) 487-3681
Laura -dot- A -dot- MacLemale -at- bender -dot- com