TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Yes, I agree; you're unlikely to buy a product just because of the
documentation; and you're also correct about the *end-users'* aversion to
reading documentation.
I guess my point is that "the product" is the whole package -- as much as
the code, the UI, the installation routine, etc. A weakness in any of these
is a weakness in the product, but each customer will have their own
priorities. An error in the documentation is unlikely to, but may, render
the system inoperable; an error in the code is more likely to render the
system inoperable (in software, my area of expertise, such as it is).
Too many managers don't consider documentation as part of the product; just
as an afterthought. As part of the product, it should develop with the rest
of the product, with appropriate priority.
A difference between software and cars is in the complexity of the tasks you
carry out and the UI you need to use them. I think almost every country has
mandatory testing to ensure you can use the car's UI to carry out the core
tasks; and all cars stick to similar UIs for those tasks (automatic and
stick-shift aside).
You can still be thrown, 'though. I spent 6 months working in New Hampshire,
and was stumped when trying to work out where the parking brake was on a
hire car. In the UK, this is called a "handbrake" for good reason; that's
how you always operate it, and you always find it to hand. Took me a good
read of the manual to spot the change in terminology and to find out you
operated it by foot!
The French have had some inventive designs for gear levers, too.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Douglas S. Bailey (AL) [mailto:dbailey -at- commandalkon -dot- com]
[...]
> I guess I should have been more specific. I meant "only because" the
> documentation is better. The customer usually doesn't, IMO,
> buy a product because the docs "sold him".
>
> People hate to read documentation. Even if they prefer
> products with good
> docs over products wtih bad docs, they still would rather just use the
> product and not have to bother with the docs.
>
> When's the last time you bought a car because it had a
> kick-butt owner's manual? You never have? Me neither.
*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com
A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
---
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.
