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From:"Julie F. Hesselgesser" <jhesselgesser -at- OXMOL -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 May 1997 11:49:53 -0400
Kevin Freeman wrote:
>She goes on to say that if the developer's need to be told that, then "We
hired the
> wrong person!"
I've heard this same concept stated many different ways. That's why
technical writers are so important to a project. They are often the only
user advocate for the software or documentation. Anyway, I asked an SME
(subject matter expert) to define the following:
These are selections that appear to our users in our software. The SME, a
chemist, said, "If they don't know what that means, they shouldn't be using
our software."
I heard this same argument at my previous job as well. This statement
invariably comes from someone who's worked there a long time and has on
"company person" blinders. I mean THEY understand the product intimately so,
"what's the user's problem?" Is this just a variation of the "stupid user"
phenomenon?
Jules
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