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Like Mike West, I don't understand why people think that "appears"
implies magic. The idea comes up again and again, though, and one
of these years I may accept it under protest like the singular
"they". Or preferably retire first.
Anyway, Mike also writes:
1. Click abc.
2. In the xyz dialog, select a blooper.
There is no reason that I can think of to
insert "The xyz dialog appears" before the
second instruction.
As for me, I generally write something like...
1. Click abc.
2. In the dialog box that appears, select a blooper.
I figure that the additional cue protects me to an extent
against shaky software and insecure readers.
First, suppose that the xyz dialog box does not appear.
At least Roger the Reader knows that it was supposed to
appear when he clicked abc. He doesn't go looking all over
the screen for something that he had been failing to notice.
Immediately he knows that what the software is doing is
no longer what the book is describing.
Similarly, when he is reading the book at the seashore--
or at work just pre-reading the procedure before he
executes it-- he doesn't think "Xyz dialog box? I don't remember
reading about that. Have I been paying less than perfect attention?"
He knows why I'm suddenly mentioning that dialog box.
He clicks abc, the xyz dialog box appears just as the book
promised, and he says to himself, "Yup, I'm on the right track
here." The congruence between the manual and the product is
emphasized, along with the user's successful performance,
rather than being taken for granted as we hurry Roger
onward to the next step.
---------------------------------------- Classification: Public -
- Mark L. Levinson - Gilian Technologies - markl -at- gilian -dot- com -
- tel +972-9-9560036 ext 215, fax +972-9-9565668 attn Mark L. -
- home: nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il, tel +972-9-9552411 or 9555720 -
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