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Katherin King wrote:
>
> For those of you who document software applications, how much of what
> you do is documenting the GUI and how much of it is documenting the
> underlying structure, the means by which the GUI is implemented? In
> other words, how important is it, do you think, for tech writers to
> understand the inner workings of the software?
It depends. Sometimes you're asked to write procedures for users, in
which case you're more concerned with what the user sees - hence the GUI
is more important - than with how the underlying software actually
works. Sometimes, however, you're asked to write for more sophisticated
audiences - system administrators, for instance, or API developers - in
which case a knowledge of the underlying software is important.
I think I hear some frustration in your question, as if you've been told
by a programmer that you can't write user manuals unless you understand
the software from the inside out. That's a common problem with some
developers. You might remind the developers, in this case, that one of
the most important roles a writer can play is that of user advocate -
the writer tries to use the program from the user's perspective,
tripping over things developers think are obvious, pointing up areas of
confusion, etc.
