Re: Opinions, please: Document by the Component or by the Tab?

Subject: Re: Opinions, please: Document by the Component or by the Tab?
From: "Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- com>
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 21:38:48 +1000

> I'm documenting a software product that has multiple components, each
> of which can be configured individually through an administration
> screen. The administration screen for the individual components is
> divided into tabs. Many of these tabs repeat over multiple components.
>
> >From a user's perspective, would it be better to document each
> component, repeating the information for the in-common tabs, or would
> it be better to document the tabs and list which components they are
> used in?

If you want to cater to users, don't "document a software product."

Document how a user gets work done. Organise by functional task, not
interface design.
--
Mike West



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