RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?)

["Marie C. Paretti" <mparetti -at- naxs -dot- net>]

Oh, what the heck - who needs to work, anyway? Here's my nickel . . .

Seems to me the main issue is "know your users," right?

- For novice/inexperienced users, I write in sequence
(From the X menu, select Y).

- Same for unfamiliar commands (we've been using
File>Save, but in reality, most of the commands on the
software I write about are unique to this program, so I
can't assume users "know" where they are unless I tell them).

- Shorthand (File>Save) generally only works for people
who know how to interpret it (experienced users, users
who bothered to read the "How to Use this Manual" page, etc.)
I often write for people who are new to computers (yes, Virginia,
they do exist . . . ), so in those cases I avoid the shorthand.

- "To do x, choose Y" format only works if users know
what they want to do. Most often, in a sequence of steps, my
users don't know that they want to open the Fribbit window - their
ultimate goal is to change the Doozy setting; I'm the one who knows
they need to go through the Fribbit window to get there.

- Explaining results (Select Q; the Fribbit window opens) is often
important to novice users, who like to be reassured that they've
done things correctly. A picture of the window helps, too (I've
seen users flip through the manual just looking for the screen they're
stuck on). Experience computer users tend to trust themselves
more (but may still be wary of the program, especially if it's a new
release and the old one had lots of bugs!)

- Explaining results is also important if the results are
unexpected - a change from an earlier version of the program, for ex.,
or (heaven forbid) something counter-intuitive.

- Add to this mix users' reliance on patterns. We get used to the
pattern in a particular manual, and expect each new set of
instructions to follow the same basic rules; when they don't, it
gets confusing. Again, more so for novice users than experts.

And on a final note:
<peeve> "Click" is actually one of my pet peeves, since for
most commands on most programs, you don't need the mouse
; there are often a variety of keyboard methods for executing
commands. So I almost never write "Click this"; I tell them
what to select, and let them choose their method. </peeve>

So, that's my contribution. No rules, other than figure out what
your users need, and give it to them.

Marie


Marie C. Paretti
Assistant Director of Professional Writing
Department of English, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
mparetti -at- vt -dot- edu     (540) 231-7909
http://www.english.vt.edu/~mparetti

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