Re: FWD: Who is my audience?

[Tracy Boyington <tracy_boyington -at- OKVOTECH -dot- ORG>]

> >I'm only allowed to create one set of documentation. The last set was
> >written for the registrarial staff. Needless to say, the larger body of
> >secretaries complained about all of the useless information.

So you can't write separate manuals, but you can still organize one big
manual into smaller chunks. Write separate sections on how to look at
the information (for the secretaries), how to change the information
(for the registrar's office), etc. Whether you provide it on paper or
online, make sure the section titles are very descriptive and very
friendly (for those who are more comfortable with "How to Look Up
Student Information" than "Searching, Indexing, and Sorting"). Those who
only need bits and pieces may still complain about the huge manual, but
the easier it is for them to find what they need, the less likely they
are to gripe about the rest of it.

> >The
> >non-computer users didn't read the manuals since I didn't tell them how
> >to turn their computers on.

Decide what your lowest common denominator is going to be and stick with
it -- some users (or potential users) probably need more help than you
have time/resources/authority to provide. Or create an insert card
explaining the basics of using a computer. Those who need it will have
it; those who don't can throw it away.

Tracy
--
==============================================
Tracy Boyington   tracy_boyington -at- okvotech -dot- org
Oklahoma Department of Vocational and Technical Education
Stillwater, OK, USA
http://www.okvotech.org/cimc/home.htm
==============================================

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