Re: paperless docs, minimal manuals

[Bonni Graham <bonnig -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

Glenda wrote:

>Anyway, can someone provide some explanation (beyond the obvious point
>that minimalist means providing only what is necessary, I assume),
>or point me to someplace where I can read about the topic?


John M. Carroll's "The Nurnberg Funnel" is an excellent book on
minimalist design.  If you're looking for something a little shorter,
he teamed up with Hans van der Meij to write an also excellent article
for STC Technical Communication's Volume 42 Numer 2 (2nd Quarter).

Basically minimalist documentation stresses the idea that you should
tell users exactly what they need to get the job done then get out of
their way and let them do it.  This doesn't need to mean "leave
information out" -- it might just mean "structure it differently, so
the people who don't need it don't have to read it", which is how I
usually attempt to write.  As I said in my earlier post, I've gotten a
LOT of good feedback from customers.

To structure information differently, you could put it in a different
manual (if you have entirely different classes of users, or if the
reading circumstances vary, for example).  You could put it in a
different chapter or sections ("Advanced Tips", for example).

Minimalist documentation requires a pretty good idea of who your
audience is and how they're going to use the product.  For example, I
edited a hardware manual that included all the technical detail for the
background behavior of the buttons and switches on the machine.  Turns
out the majority of users were front-office receptionists or
secretaries, who didn't want or need to know this information.  They
just wanted to know what buttons to press in what order.  I moved the
technical information to the end of each chapter, so it still had
context, ut didn't interefere with general operation.  This project
wasn't TRULY minimalist, since I probably could have eliminated the
info altogether, but I happened to know there was a small percentage of
users who not only wanted but needed to know this information.

This is just one example; your milegae will definitely vary depending
on your users and their desire for information.  As with many technical
writing theories, this sounds complex and a big deal until you realize
you've pretty much been doing it all along anyway (or wanted to anyway,
if you're working for a particularly hidebound employer or client).

Bonni Graham
Manual Labour