Re: Click to add

[Chris Hamilton <chamilton -at- GR -dot- COM>]

geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA wrote:
>
>  Just to throw another log on the fire... I'd actually
>  prefer to see most of the imperative instructions we've
>  seen during this thread reversed: Rather than "Click Y to
>  do X", go with "To do X, click Y". (Rationale: Provide
>  context before details. Relevant jargon: "metadiscourse",
>  "using advance organisers", etc.)

All relevant jargon aside, the reader is only going to use this for that
kind of context once (at most a handful of times). After that, the
reader will be more interested in what the step is. Putting it at the
beginning of the step, rather than framing it in context first, costs a
little time on the first reading, but saves time on subsequent readings,
especially if the reader's not an absolute beginner. For the most part,
I know what I want to do, I go to the doc to determine how to do it.

Chris

--
Chris Hamilton, Technical Writer
Greenbrier & Russel
847.330.4146

"The essence of greatness is the preception that virtue is enough." --
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html