Re: Initial Doc Focus: Concepts or Procedures?

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Janice, you have the exact right idea. Remind those people it's called a user guide, not a programmer's guide, and there is good reason for that fact.


--- On Wed, 7/23/08, Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM> wrote:

> From: Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM>
> Subject: Re: Initial Doc Focus: Concepts or Procedures?
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2008, 8:50 PM
> Pro TechWriter wrote:
> > Hey Whirlers:
> > 
> > I have a very short time frame to produce some
> documentation for some beta
> > software.
> > 
> > My thoughts  that the users will need instructions to
> use the software, with
> > some basic concepts related to the tasks thrown in. 
> Some folks (um,
> > "programmers") disagree with that approach.
> They want high-level conceptual
> > information instead and some "isn't the
> product wonderful" text. They
> > basically said "we don't need no stinkin'
> steps."
> > 
> > Weigh in, please. I am interesting in hearing some
> *technical writer's*
> > experience and opinions on this one.
> > 
> 
> Procedures. No question. Tell your programmers that
> there's a reason that books are called "MyProduct
> User's Guide" and not "The Joys of
> MyProduct" :->
> 
> Seriously, users can't appreciate how wonderful
> the product is if they can't figure out how to
> use it. No one buys a product to admire the design
> or the clever coding. They buy products because
> the product enables them to accomplish something.
> 
> Tell them that proper place for glowing descriptions
> of the wonderfulness of the product is marketing
> brochures and the web site.
> 
> -- Janice
> 
> ***********************************************************
> Janice Gelb          | The only connection Sun has with
> janice -dot- gelb -at- sun -dot- com  | this message is the return address
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