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Engineering design practice was RE: Trouble finding work
Subject:Engineering design practice was RE: Trouble finding work From:"Kathleen" <keamac -at- cox -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 20 Apr 2005 16:59:05 -0700
I think that the proposition that good engineering design practice will
lead to user-friendly documentation is highly debatable.
IMHO, it's good design practice coupled with good content, and neither
is assured by any technique. The only assurance is having a "producer"
who can (and will) do that, though even the best of us (engineer or
writer/designer) can make mistakes. I agree that certain practices might
make it easier to establish a desired outcome, but they're far from
complete solutions.
(sheesh, I must really be bored to get embroiled in this)
Kathleen
-----
Tony Markos wrote:
The key consideration is whether technical
communications needs to be created using an
engineering approach. User friendly documentation is,
in the main, documentation that minimizes the reader
having to do skips and jump-to's. There is really
only one approach to creating such documentation:
Design highly cohesive and lossely coupled modules of
information. And creation of such modules requires
good engineering design practice.
> >> As mentioned previously, there are usually two
> types of tech writers:
> >> 1- the engineer/programmer with a TW
> certification
> >> 2- the English/Journalism major with a back door
> into high-tech (e.g.,
> >>a hobbiest techie).
> >>
> >>
> I have a degree in journalism and I've worked as a
> business reporter,
> broadcast journalist and an award winning video
> producer. I also have
> over 37 years experience in the
> electronics/computer industry,
> including working as a Sr. Technical Writer and
> Publications
> Manager...so be careful when you lump
> English/Journalism majors in to
> the category of "a hobbiest techie." Some of the
> best technical writers
> I've known come from the journalism profession.
> Some of the worst were
> converted programmers/engineers.
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