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Subject:Re: Including Screen Captures From:Jane Bergen <janeb -at- AIRMAIL -dot- NET> Date:Thu, 23 May 1996 21:33:38 -0500
On Thursday, May 23, 1996 11:50 AM, Karla =
McMaster[SMTP:mcmaster%pcmail -dot- cti-pet -dot- com -at- CTI-PET -dot- COM] wrote:
>Bill Hartzer asked:
>> Has anyone heard of this theory of not including screen
>> captures in doc for GUI-based software products? Is the
>> user missing anything by not having screen captures in the
>> doc?
>I have never heard of this theory, and I find it difficult to imagine =
how I
>would explain concepts related to the screen without having a screen =
to which
>I could refer. But maybe I'm just not imaginitive enough...
>Karla McMaster, technical writer
>CTI PET Systems, Inc., Knoxville, TN
>mcmaster -at- cti-pet -dot- com
I use screen shots in my manuals....not full screens but for any dialog =
box that requires the customer to choose an option or type information =
in a field. When I tried to leave them out, the engineers and the =
customers (we do custom telephony software) raised one heck of a ruckus. =
Their point was that the user needs to see what the screen OUGHT to look =
like, just in case theirs has some problem. I don't necessarily agree, =
but now I leave them in. It does break up the text nicely and, as one =
customer told me, it helps keep him oriented as to where he is in the =
program.
Ahem.... thanks to the Windows 95 style wizards, which contain a lot of =
information in the wizard page itself, I have managed to wean them off =
screen shots of every single installation window. I'm little-by-little =
getting rid of some others.=20
Jane Bergen
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Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
janeb -at- airmail -dot- net or janebergen -at- aol -dot- com
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