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Subject:Re: Document Planning From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 10 Jun 1997 15:42:28 -0700
At 09:53 AM 6/10/97 -0700, Bill Kilpatrick wrote:
>Matthew Long wondered:
>
>> What I am wondering is whether or not I should repeat information that is
>> the same for each flavor in every section, or should I write it once and
>> make reference to it in the other sections.
And Bill Kilpatrick responded (in part):
>...You might also
>rephrase the common sections to make them less repetitive--and hence, more
>"readable"--and to improve their instructional effectiveness. As you know,
>describing the same procedure or screen element in several different ways
>improves you chances of making a connection with users--no matter what
>their learning style.
I'd like to interject a word of caution here.
While explaining something "several different ways" sounds good in
theory, it's been known to backfire. You will find some users who
assume that because you didn't say it the same way, you don't
mean the same thing. They will have all manner and sorts of problems
trying to reconcile the two different explanations, so rather than
helping them to understand, you only end up confusing them.
There's a lot to be said for consistency.
That said, my comment to Matthew -- If there's a way to document the
core application so that it's separate from the variations, I'd think
that'd be the way to go. Barring that, repetition would be my choice.
More work for you, yes, but lots less work for the users.
Just my two cents worth.
Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com
-- The _Guide_ is definitive.
Reality is frequently inaccurate.
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