Re: Guess what: we suck!

["Mike Starr" <mikestarr-techwr-l -at- writestarr -dot- com>]

The problem is that we technical writers don't get to decide what features 
deserve to be incorporated into a product. But to me, documentation that 
doesn't explain all of those features is unacceptable. We should be 
providing task-based documentation to guide users through the most common 
tasks but we should also be providing reference-based documentation that 
explains whatever's there to be explained. The better we do at this sort of 
stuff, the less often users will feel the need to pick up the phone and call 
support.

Mike
--
Mike Starr                            WriteStarr Information Services
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Phone: (262) 694-1028 - Tollfree: (877) 892-1028 - Fax:(262) 697-6334
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 2:21 PM
Subject: Re: Guess what: we suck!

> In my experience it has more often been developers and
> product managers who want big, thick, detailed tomes
> that cover every feature and every possible function of
> the product, to protect them from their own ignorance.
> Having failed to adequately research what their users
> really want from the product, how they will actually be
> using it and what they need to get it to do what it's
> supposed to, they cram in everything but the kitchen
> sink.  Then their help lines are buried under a flood of
> calls from users who couldn't care less about "in-depth
> coverage" and just want to know "how do I make it do...?"
>
> Gene Kim-Eng 

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