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RE: The role of tech writers when working with business/systems analysts
Subject:RE: The role of tech writers when working with business/systems analysts From:Steven Brown <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Apr 2004 11:28:48 -0700 (PDT)
In my experience, the technical writers that I've
worked with have NOT been experts on the user. (How
many times have we heard complaints that we're not
allowed to talk to customers. If we're not talking to
customers, how do we know what they do?) I'm afraid
that most of us think we're more adept at
understanding users' needs than we really are.
I say this having spent the last six months working
with a UI designer who more accutately describes his
role as an "interaction designer." After having worked
with him, I realize that that involves an entirely
different set of skills and knowledge than most of us
tech writers possess. That's not to say that we cannot
do interaction design, just that most of us aren't
prepared to do it as well as someone with the
education and experience. The situation is analogous
to a programmer who also writes documentation. Yes, he
can do it, but not as well as a good technical writer.
Steven Brown
Technical Writer
--- Beth Agnew <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca> wrote:
>
> I've always seen the techwriter as the bridge
> between the systems analyst
> and the business analyst. It's true that we all have
> some common skills, but
> our focus is often different. The systems analyst is
> an expert on the
> system, and should be able to figure out how the
> system must be designed to
> serve the client's needs. The business analyst is an
> expert on the client's
> business, and from that perspective looks at the
> system to ensure it can be
> used to accomplish the client's business tasks. The
> techwriter is an expert
> on the user, and ensures the user is able to
> understand how to use the
> system to accomplish those business tasks. We work
> closely with both roles
> to get our job done.
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