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Subject:RE: Best Documentation From:"Anthony Markatos" <tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 03 Feb 2000 08:50:17 PST
Tony Markatos responds (to Brent Jones below):
Text is a very poor means of communicating procedural informal. Text is one
dimensional; procedures (especially those associated with complex software
systems) are multidimensional - different things happening at the same time
and multi-branching. Graphics are much better because they allow one to
clearly communicate the multidimensional aspect of procedure. And as you
have found, properly "chucked" graphics are even better.
All of the above is a major reason (there are others) why writting skills
are of RELATIVELY minor importance in technical communications.
Brent Jones writes:
I think the best examples of technical documentation I have ever seen are
the instructions that come w/ modern-day Lego kits. They are entirely
pictorial, the "chunking" of pieces-per-pictograph is brilliant, the
sequencing (build this 'subsystem,' then that one, then join them
together)is topnotch. They are localised for any market, as they use no
text(except arabic numerals to show the sequence of ops--that might be a
problem in some markets).
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