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Subject:RE: Humor: instructions for how to light a match From:"Martinek, Carla" <CMartinek -at- zebra -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 22 Jun 2005 08:45:27 -0500
-----Original Message-----
This of course, makes the instructions even more open
to satire if they had included alternate steps to
include usage where the striking surface is located
on the back.
CB - who had a hard time finding strike-anywhere
wooden matches recently
On a product in development, a coworker and I found that the interface was extremely convoluted, but the project manager insisted that it was designed properly.
We disagreed so much that we mapped out the interface in a flowchart -- 1 level only -- and it looked like a large spiral/looping progression. There were 4 levels to the interface, and I can only imagine how it would have looked for the rest of them if we'd tried to include them on the flowchart.
The other writer then documented what should have been a simple 2-3 step procedure. It took an entire page of multiple if/then tables because of the design of the interface.
And yes, the product interface was changed after that. :-) It was a good reminder to never forget that we are the user's advocate, and if we find it difficult to document, imagine how difficult it will be for the user to actually use! Sometimes you gotta stand up and rattle the bars to be heard.
-Carla
*************************
Carla Martinek, Translation Coordinator/Editor
Zebra Technologies Corporation
333 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
tel: 847.793.5616 fax: 847.821.1795
cmartinek -at- zebra -dot- com
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