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> That being said, you might be wiser to figure out how to develop a more
> mutually respectful relationship with the developers. First, you need to
> clearly distinguish between two types of errors
> Second, you need to clearly identify why they won't make minor
corrections;
> you can't come up with an effective stragegy until you know those reasons.
> If you really aren't respected enough by your colleagues to come to work
> with a smile, you have only two choices
First, Geoff, nicely written.
I faced the exact same issues with a couple of companies, and have the scars
to prove it (although they are fading as time goes by) :-)
I found that getting the development team (which includes non-programmers
like the project mgr, business analyst, QA, and sales) on board with being
concerned about user experience was not unlike getting them on board with
technical writing. Initially people will see you as adding to their already
heavy workload - "change this, change that, give me time on your
calendar....). I've always been careful to let the team know that I: a) am
aware and sensitive to their roles and stresses, and b) the work I am doing
will actually relieve some of their workload. Basically, what value am I
adding to the project and to the team?
Most of us on this list can quickly come up with how technical writing can
improve the company's standing and help with the development lifecycle. A
lot of those reasons are still valid when you move from tech writing to user
experience. Developers are often 2nd or 3rd level support, getting calls in
the middle of the night - and how many of them would like to reduce THAT?
Sales people are really good at getting that first sale, but a product with
poor usability will dramatically increase the difficulty in selling new
releases - good user experience can help with add on sales. A little more
time at the beginning of the lifecycle focusing on user experience will
greatly decrease the development time and the iterative design process -
helping the project mgr release a better product faster. An easier product
to use will help the poor over-worked QA group learn the product - helping
them speed up the testing part of the lifecycle. The list goes on.....
As to Geoff's second point, often the cause is (everyone together - let's
say this loud & proud...)"We need to be a part of the project team from the
very beginning!" Time is of the essence, especially as the project nears
completion. If you are part of the team at the outset, you will be privy to
the spec design and business requirements meetings - which is when usability
issues should be first raised.
Now, <bowing respectfully to> Mr. Plato, who wrote:
> If you were not hired to do usability, don't assume it is your job. This
> is an area that routinely gets tech writers into trouble. They just assume
> they are usability experts and take on a job that may not be assigned to
> them.
My above ranting does assume that you have, at the very least, enough
training and experience in the field of user experience to make
recommendations. You also need enthusiasm, but you seem to have that <grin>.
If you are just starting your trek into user experience, then you may want
to couch your comments in personal language (such as, "as someone who uses
this software, can I suggest a couple of things from my experience?") If
you've done some UX work before, then go ahead and let them know that it is
coming from experience.
Either way, tech writers make, with some training, good user experience
professionals (IMHO)
Good luck Hanlie!
Rob Domaschuk
Technical Writer, Datalogics inc.
312.853.8337 - t
810.958.2937 - f
"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be
indifferent.
That's the essence of inhumanity"
- G.B. Shaw
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