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Subject:Re: paperless docs, minimal manuals From:Bonni Graham <bonnig -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 26 Jun 1995 10:18:54 -0700
Janis wrote:
>Minimalist manuals are ridiculous, and they will make IDG publications rich.
Well...
Perhaps for a large, multi-function program like Clarisworks (or perhaps the
Clarisworks author "over-minimalized" the book -- it CAN happen) you're right.
OTOH, if you have a piece of software aimed at a vertical market, the members
of whom who can already be assumed to know what they want to do, minimalist
manuals can be product-savers. I recently finished one of these and according
to the client, the manual and online help has been the deciding factor in a
couple of cases where the sale was tough. Comments (almost across the board)
from customers and users have indicated that they like the "short description,
then get out of my face" style. For those who want more, we're planning on
including in the next version's manual set an implementation manual that
discusses some possible usage variations and an in-depth description of the
report options.
Point being, I think maybe you got a bad manual, that might have been bad even
if it wasn't minimalist (apologies if the Clarisworks author is on this list:
I'm going from Janis' description, not having seen the book myself). Don't
condemn an entire methodology from one example.
