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Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your question, but I always have something to
work with, if not the system, then the Business Specifications, Functional
Diagrams, Use Cases, etc. I know I have to use my imagination a bit to
describe how the system will work, but the developer helps keep me honest!
(Sometimes even uses my imagination to add functionality).
I don't approach tasks from the point of view of what the user "wants" to
do, but rather what the user "will" do, based on the designed
functionality.
Suzette Seveny
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny -at- petvalu -dot- com or suzette -at- yesic -dot- com
NetBrett Thorson wrote:
<snip> But how do I discover the tasks other people want to
> perform.
>
> I would first need to introduce them to the product,
> Show them what it can do
> Ask them what they would want to do with it.
>
>
> Further more, I am wondering how you people write these documents without
> even having a product made that you can show them.
>
> So in the end, I guess what I am asking is how do we as tech writers
> discover what the user wants to do with the system, before they know what
> the system can do?
<end snip>
