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RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?)
Subject:RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?) From:"Lisa Bronson" <Lisa -dot- Bronson -at- ipaper -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Mar 2001 12:29:07 -0600
<snip>
Click Copy from the Edit menu.
versus
>From the Edit menu, click Copy.
In this example, I think "click Copy" is the most important part and should
go right at the front of the sentence, and that's the standard I've managed
to sell here in my group.
</snip>
I agree that the most important part of a step should be presented first.
However, in this case, I disagree, from personal experience. When I am
reading a software manual (or any manual, actually), I want to see things
presented in the order I need to find them. Since I can't see Copy until
after I have located and clicked Edit, I want to see it presented as "From
the Edit menu, click Copy."
The way I've been trained to write technical documents is to make each step
contain only one action, if possible. This action _could_ be presented as
two steps:
1. Click the Edit menu.
2. Click Copy.
though I don't know anyone who would write it that way.
If two actions are required for one step, then I believe they should be
presented in the order they need to be done.
Of course, then you may run into problems with users who are so familiar
with where actions are in the menus that have the menu name first will
irritate them. In that case, I would present it as:
>From the Edit menu, click Copy.
...but have _Copy_ in bold. That way, an experienced user can visually
hone in on what he wants to see while a novice user sees the necessary
_substeps_ in order.
Lisa Bronson
Associate Technical Writer
Evergreen Packaging Equipment
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
319-399-3239
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