Re: To index, or not to index, that is the question.

[Romay Jean Sitze <rositze -at- NMSU -dot- EDU>]

I tend to agree with you.  I know that I usually browse through a new
manual to determine the potential of the program--but I really don't
bother to read everything in detail.  Like you, I use the manual more as a
resource to help me bail out of difficulty through the use of an index.

This is why I was astounded when the owner of the company for which a do a
bit of technical writing decided that an index was not an authorized
addition to our manuals.  He seems to feel that it is not cost effective.
I'd love some more evidence to relay as to the desirability of keeping the
index feature in our manuals.  (Our market is primarily government
contractors, not the general public.)

Bob Handlin wrote:

> I assume
> that the vast majority of users use the product until they get stuck, then
> go to the index of the book and jump straight to the answer.

> It's painful to think that a lot of the stuff we put in the books never gets
> read, but we have to be realistic.  In the vast majority of cases, if the
> user can go to the index and the entry leads them to an intelligent solution
> to their problem, you've written a good manual.  If on the other hand you've
> written chapter after chapter over gorgeous text, and the one time a user
> goes to the book the answer isn't there, in their mind the book is a piece
> of garbage.  C'est la vie! (Sorry, it's only French phase I know;-))

> Bob
> bhandlin -at- chipcom -dot- com



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                *   RoMay Sitze     rositze -at- nmsu -dot- edu   *
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