Users vs. usage

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

I would like to submit a nit for picking (sort of a brief survey):

Document:
   You are writing a System Functionality test for a change to a system.

Audience:
   You are faced with a literalist user/tester base -- e.g., technophobic 
users, non-academically-inclined (i.e., often unaware of half the rules for 
grammatically-correct writing, and prone to avoid reading when possible), 
and yet for that very reason being used as the testers performing the 
test.

Variable:
   The document convention (used consistently) is that literal text to be 
entered into a control during the test is enclosed in quotes. (This is in 
part because the users in question ignore or don't notice font changes or 
italics as emphasis in this case.)

Usage question:
   In this case, if it becomes necessary to include a comma after the 
quote-enclosed text (for the sake of the appropriate pause needed in the 
sentence describing the step to be taken), would you prefer to place it 
inside or outside of the quote marks?

Grammar indicates it should go inside the quotes, clarity indicates it 
should go outside the quotes.


I'm seeking a view of where the opinions lie, proportionally along the 
continuum, mostly as a gauge for future encounters of this nature.  I keep 
stubbing my toe on this incarnation of the usage necroequine, so I figure I 
may have lost perspective by now.

Thanks!
Shauna

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