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Subject:Re: traps for reviewers From:mpriestley -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM Date:Thu, 23 Mar 1995 14:41:12 EST
On a previous project, I made it a habit to include at least one entirely
humorous procedure. We had reams of task-oriented help, and it lightened
a reviewer's mood to encounter the occasional non-sequitur (eg "Creating
a new object; Defining default settings; Opening a Cool Beverage").
Mind you, we were a long way from releasing the product, and we were extremely
careful to _only_ include the humour in the draft copy.
The response was worth it, though. All the reviewers loved it (which was
a reassurance that they were reading it), and draft copies of the docs became
prized possessions (like having a first edition of a novel or something).
On one occasion, when I ran out of time and left out the humour section,
I received outraged complaints from various reviewers (who had searched in
vain for sparks of absurdity). Other reviewers, unfortunately, simply chose
the most stilted, awkward task help of the lot, and decided that it must be
a brilliantly understated parody.
I haven't tried this on my current project yet, but I probably will at some
point (when I have time, and know my reviewers a bit better).
Michael Priestley
mpriestley -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com
Disclaimer: speaking on my own behalf, not IBM's.
