Re: They don't need our stinkin' manuals??

[Michele Davis <michele -at- krautgrrl -dot- com>]

> 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.
>

i have found that a lot of these manuals don't break down concepts into simple,
easy-to-understand language. in my opinion, all manuals for electronics should
be usability tested on 10-14 year olds. our vcr, purchased in 1984, has horrible
documentation compared with the dvd player we received last year as a wedding
gift.

my college boyfriend, like someone's husband online, put together an entire
detailed instruction sheet for our component stereo that also hooked into the
vcr and tv. it was fantastic. of course, he was an anal, now very well published
photographer, who managed to never study in college and ended up on the dean's
list every quarter, much to my chagrin.
--
Michele

need a communication specialist? try here:  http://www.krautgrrl.com



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