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Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards

Subject: Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards
From: Chuck Martin <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 15:21:54 -0700


Bonnie Granat wrote:

Chuck Martin wrote:

My own business card says the same thing as under my name in my sig.
"User Assistance & Experience Engineer"


I find that so vague as to be meaningless. You could be talking about
nuclear reactors or refrigerators.


Well, yeah.

I certainly hope that any nuclear reactors that might be near you have had their user experience designed so that the interface clearly communicates its use quickly and easy. I'd hate to have the people who work there not be able to figure out which button to push in an emergency. (Simplified, I know.)

There is a refrigerator in the kitchen where I work. There are no obvious hinges, and no handles on the front. How do you open in, and from which side? Turns out, there is a recess in the *side* of the door where you can slide in your fingers and pull. You might find it as you're feeling around the edges of the door. Hopefully, the next time you use the refrigerator, you'll remember which side of the door this recess is on. This is an utter failure in user experience; the door design fails to communicate clearly how it is used.

"User" defines the target audience

"Assistance" makes it clear that what's being produced is far more than writing. In fact, user assistance may contain no words at all.

"Experience" because the best user interfaces inherently communicate clearly their proper use.

"Engineer" because this is an engineering discipline.

Far from vague, the terminology is not only accurate, but it encompasses the entirety of the discipline much better than "technical writer."

--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
twriter "at" sonic "dot" net www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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References:
RE: job title nomenclature on biz cards: From: Goldstein, Dan
Re: job title nomenclature on biz cards: From: Gene Kim-Eng

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