Getting customer reactions

[Mark Levinson <mark -at- SD -dot- CO -dot- IL>]

Sometimes issuing a manual is "like dropping a flower petal into
the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo" (as Don Marquis said of
publishing poetry).

I suggested to my boss that a representative from our documentation
department should venture out into the field to talk
to real users and interview them about the manuals and online
help that they're receiving from us.

"Don't tell me that other companies really do that," he said.

"Why, yes they do," I said.

"Name one."

"Well," I whuffled, "mostly big companies that can spare the staff for
such an effort, or small companies where everyone is partly in charge
of everything..." but I had no examples.

Not that I necessarily expect to go touring the world to research
what our users are doing, but maybe I could at least get an
expense-account lunch out of town and a little real-world wisdom
if I can prove that the practice is not unprecedented.  Who can
tell me about companies that do send documentation people
out into the field to talk to users?

Alternatively, what other tactics are companies using to analyze
how users react to their documentation?  Who's using one-way-mirror
labs?  Who's getting indirect feedback via marketing or support?
Who's relying on reply cards?  What other methods are in use?

_________________________________________________________________________
 Mark L. Levinson           | E-mail:   mark -at- sd -dot- co -dot- il
 Summit Design (EDA) Ltd.   | Voice:    +972-9-507102, ext. 230 (work),
 Box 544                    |           +972-9-552411 (home)
 46105 Herzlia, ISRAEL      | Fax:      +972-9-509118
_________________________________________________________________________