TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: FrameMaker Menu captu From:Marilynne Smith <m -dot- smith182 -at- GENIE -dot- GEIS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 16 Jun 1994 10:37:00 UTC
>> . . . someone asked me why we bother to include menus in written
>> documentation. I have to admit, I now wonder too . . .
Some people learn best from words and some people learn best from pictures.
Most of us benefit from a combination of both.
When you do screen captures that show the actual progress through the task,
it verifies what you are saying with the words. If I look at the screen
capture and see that my screen is not the same, I know I'm in trouble.
Also, if the words are unclear as to where something should be entered, one
look at the screen capture should clarify this for me.
If I had to chose between screen captures and descriptive text, I'd probably
chose screen captures.
