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Subject:Re: User guides to die for From:Richard Lewis <tech44writer -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:egalite <egalite -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Sun, 8 Oct 2006 10:20:37 -0700 (PDT)
By far, the main things I look for in documentation are the following:
* Are the number of skips and jump to's that I need to perform to find the info that I need minimized?
* Are graphics used and used properly? The human mind best processes info from the general to the specific. And, for info systems, the big picture is best presented via graphics.
* Is the work properly patitioned into equal size pieces?
* Are headings, as much as possible, in the end-user's terms? I (the end-user) want to use the system to, for example, calculate the sales tax. I do not want to roll out the circular polarization and adjust the servo modulators. I may need to roll out the circular polarization and adjust the servo modulators in order to calculate sales tax - but, I want my headings to be stated in terms of my goals - not in terms of implementation technology.
Richard Lewis
egalite <egalite -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au> wrote:
So, my question: which user guides do you look at as a "best practice"
example for your own work? Are there any that you just plain like for
unknown reasons? It can be one you have written, or something from somewhere
else entirely. What do like most about it? Oh, and if it's available online,
a link would be nice :)
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