Re: Must documentation always follow the UI?

[deloaa <deloaa -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Ditto.

There's a difference between writing for a novice user and a more experienced user. Once I learn a product, I abhor slogging through documentation written only for a novice to clarify a single term. Depending on the degree of complexity of your product and the nature of its audience, a glossary might prove useful.

All the best,

Amelia DeLoach


--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 9/23/15, Mike Starr <mike -at- writestarr -dot- com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: Must documentation always follow the UI?
 To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
 Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 2:34 PM
 
 It's not always all
 about task-based documentation. There is a time and 
 place for reference documentation. At some
 point, users need to be able 
 to understand
 every UI element even when we don't provide them with
 
 documentation for a task that uses that
 particular element.
 
 Best
 Regards,
 
 Mike
 -- 
 Mike Starr           
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 On 2015-09-23 2:26 pm, John G wrote:
 > I try not to build a monument to the UI if
 I can possibly avoid it. The 
 > UI
 > exists in the code - why does it have to
 be reiterated in the 
 > documentation?
 > 
 > If you're
 writing task based content, just tell them how to use the UI
 
 > -
 > Click
 "Abercrombie" to order high-markup clothes for
 preppies - but you
 > don't have to
 recount how and in what order things are organized on the
 > page - they can see that.
 > 
 > And if you are
 presenting the contents of the page, for example, as 
 > links
 > to more
 information, I'd take a stab at listing the ones most
 likely to 
 > be
 > used
 first, and the ones least likely to be used last.
 > 
 > tldr; Don't
 describe the page in words, and consider what the user is
 
 > doing
 > with the
 page and cater to their needs.
 > 
 > My 2¢,
 > 
 > JG
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