Hiding the technical (Was: RE: The Big Lie')

[Jim Shaeffer <jims -at- spsi -dot- com>]

As I read the lines below, I started to nod in agreement, then 
I realized that the 2nd point seemed dead wrong. 
To explain: I find that 80% of my writing consists of hiding 
technical information from the user. We are a software company, 
and we assume our end user to be a novice and a technophobe. 
We hide technology behind familiar metaphors, a friendly 
interface, and documentation that deals in job/task terms and 
procedures. 
When technical information rears it's ugly head, it's usually 
in the form of a bug or an error message. In that case, our 
end users have more productive things to do than to try and 
troubleshoot the systems. Leave that to the specialists. 

Jim Shaeffer (jims -at- spsi -dot- com)
P.S. The other 20% of my writing is hard-core techie stuff for 
the system administrators, support desk personnel and trouble 
shooters. 
Also, my technical understanding is invaluable in dealing with 
our developers and in mastering my own tools. 

> ----from the Original Message-----
> From: jgarison -at- ide -dot- com [mailto:jgarison -at- ide -dot- com]
> 
> But the bottom line is the same now as it was almost 60 years 
> ago: You have to be competent at two things: 
> 1) understanding technical information, and
> 2) the ability to communicate that understanding to someone 
> who doesn't currently have it.
> 
> My 2¢,
> 
> John

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now's a great time to buy RoboHelp! You'll get SnagIt screen capture
software and a $200 onsite training voucher FREE when you buy RoboHelp
Office or RoboHelp Enterprise. Hurry, this offer expires February 28, 2002. www.ehelp.com/techwr

Have you looked at the new content on TECHWR-L lately?
See http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ and check it out.

---
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.