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> And now for some pop psychology.
> One problem that surfaces frequently on this list is that tech writers
feel alienated from their audience, the customers.
> If the tech writer is writing product to satisfy the needs of "the next
step in the modular process" instead of to satisfy the needs of "the
customer," this would tend to increase our sense of alienation.
> Thus, we desire to work in an interface that at least approximates "what
the customer gets." This desire correlates to the desire to be a "customer
advocate."
> Slotting the tech writer into a work flow that further separates the
writer from the customer leads to negative feelings of "cogness."
This is a fascinating speculation. I don't know if writers really feel this
way, but suppose they do. The first observation to make is that the feeling
is mistaken. Doing document design does not put you nearer to the customer
than writing. It is simply a different job performed at an equal distance
from the customer.
Being nearer the end of the production line is not the same thing as being
nearer to the customer. The autoworker who installs the engine in a car
chassis is not further from the customer than the worker who attaches the
nameplate to the trunklid. Indeed, the worker further from the end of the
production line is actually doing a job that matters far more to the
customer than the worker nearer to the end of the line.
It is important that technical communicators get close to the customer, as
it is important that any worker get closer to their customer. If doing
layout gives writers the illusion that they are getting closer to the
customer, that is a bad thing. It is interfering in the writer getting close
to the customer in a real way.
If the speculation is true, therefore, it is yet another reason to get away
from WYSIWYG so that writers can focus on really getting close to their
audience and better understanding what content they need.
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Mark Baker
Analecta Communications
www.analecta.com
+1 613 614 5881
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