RE: Post-holiday reality: They don't need our stinkin' manuals??

["John Fleming" <johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca>]

> Subject: RE: Post-holiday reality: They don't need our stinkin'
manuals??
> From: Sanjay Srikonda <SSrikonda -at- invlink -dot- com>
> Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 14:30:23 -0500
> X-Message-Number: 40

> simple example, you mentioning VCR reminded me of this.  How many of
us have
> gone to friends'/familys' houses and see the VCR flickering 12:00
over and
> over again.  What's the most often used complaint?  I don't know how
to
> program it.  How many users have ever read the manual on how to
program it?
> Would it still be flickering 12:00?

To which I will add the question, "How many users know where the
manual is?"

A number of years ago I cam across a statistic on the number of
Americans who can't operate their VCR (I suspect, if we Canadians are
anything like Americans, the statistic probably holds for us too).
The percentage was quite high.

I wonder if anyone has ever done a study to see if there is a
correlation between the users who know how to operate the VCR and the
users who took the time to read the manual.

--

John Fleming
Technical Writer
Edmonton, Alberta
email:     johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca



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