RE: Making them read the documentation

Subject: RE: Making them read the documentation
From: "MM Deaton" <mmdeaton -at- mmdeaton -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 12:13:33 -0700

If the users, and even your own people, are not reading the manuals, find
out why. Talk to them. Why don't they read them?

Watch them. What do they do instead of reading the manual? Can you enable
the way they want to find information?

Is there something you can change about the manuals so they will read them?
Is there something that can be done about the software so that there is less
need for the manual?
Do you need to create an entirely different beast to get information to
them?

Users will do what works for them. If the manuals don't work, they won't
read them. Let's not assume the problem is with the users.


Mary Deaton
Deaton Information Design
Which are the best job banks? at: http://www.mmdeaton.com

-----Original Message-----
Behalf Of S Godfrey
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 8:59 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Making them read the documentation


I've searched the archives on this, but have not found a satisfactory
answer. And, perhaps it needs discussing again.

The question: how do you get those darn users to read your beautiful
technical documentation?



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available 4/30/01 at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com

Sponsored by DigiPub Solutions Corp, producers of PDF 2001 Conference East,
June 4-6, Baltimore, MD. Now covering Acrobat 5. Early registration deadline
April 27. http://www.pdfconference.com.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


References:
Making them read the documentation: From: S Godfrey

Previous by Author: RE: On The Bench
Next by Author: Re: ethics, morals in documentation?
Previous by Thread: Re: Making them read the documentation
Next by Thread: Re: Making them read the documentation


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads