Re: Using the Term "User"

[Gary Dettmers <garyd -at- TEKELEC -dot- COM>]

Karl Smart said:

> In the computer industry, the term "user" is a generally accepted term
> for those who work with computers.  I have had several folks (
> particularly from Eastern big city areas) suggest that we should
> consider changing the term--using terms such as "the audience," "the
> reader," "the
> operator," "the customer," or a specific name if known (like banker,
> lawyer, teacher, etc.)

> The reasoning is that the term "user" has extremely strong connotations
> with drug users, and that an alternative term would be more
> appropriate. I'm interested in how others feel.  If you don't like the
> term user, what alternatives would you suggest.

> Obviously, this has lots of ramifications.  We have users' groups, a
> user's guide, and so forth.



At our company we have moved away from the term "the user" to a more friendly
and personal voice by using a different person. We now say "you" in our
manuals to give the reader the feeling that she is recognized by the writer.
We felt any other method left our readers with the feeling that we were being
distant in our approach.

When our engineering group prepares a product functional specification, they
use "the user" as a reference for whom the final product will be designed.
This is acceptable because a PFS is an internal document and our customer's
never see them.


Does anyone else use a first person approach in their documentation?



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________________  Gary Dettmers             | I'd rather have a full
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