TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
>
> Look at Tech Writer projects. The ones that I have seen fail
> failed because
> of poor end-user analysis and estimating. Yet, if you were
> to look at
> hundreds of on-line TW job listings (try www.dice.com) you
> will find that
> few ask for skills in either of these areas.
You don't always see these important skills listed for management positions,
either. Must go without saying.
>
> If effective user analysis is easy, why is software so widely
> recognized as
> being very hard to use? Companies put little emphasis on
> end-user analysis
> because they know that they can not do it effectively.
I don't think this is quite right. First of all, technology changes so
quickly and competition is so intense that end-user analysis is a luxury few
can afford. I also doubt that companies "know that they can not do it
effectively." They probably don't even know it exists, or they think they
are doing it through Marketing and Product Management.
