TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
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:Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:49:39 -0700 (PDT)
Tish:
If you want concrete specific steps, sorry, I have research this and the closest thing that I found to my (below) approach is what is discussed in a book by Edmund Weiss (I think that's his name).
Tony Lewis
egalite <egalite -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au> wrote:
Thanks, Richard. So are there any links you might like to share?
Trish :)
: From: Richard Lewis
:
: 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 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 :)
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-
