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Subject:Re: Assumptions, the Audience and Arithmetic From:"Tom Sullivan" <tsullivan -at- netexpress -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 15 Aug 2001 08:18:13 -0700
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Fleming" <johnf -at- ecn -dot- ab -dot- ca>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2001 9:43 PM
Subject: Assumptions, the Audience and Arithmetic
Hey John,
<edited for brevity>
...At one point in the procedure is a series of steps where the person
doing the procedure, to use the mathematical description, subtracts
one number from another. The number subtracted is often negative
(meaning, in layman's terms, change the sign and add)...
When we hit this spot, my SME went into some pretty convoluted and
arcane descriptions of this process. Points about remembering when to
change the sign and add and so forth. Scary thing is, she had a
yellow sticky to remind her of some of these more arcane gyrations.
If the SME invokes convoluted and arcane descriptions of the process, then
IMHO the end users will need some serious descriptive unraveling to make the
operation understandable.
Now, the intended audience is generally clerical/accounting staff.
That is, while they are capable of doing a lot of accounting
functions, they are by no means professional accountants or people
with BCOM degrees.
And if one temporary employee is introduced into the mix for a short period
of time, and is familiar with accounting functions and practices, but not
familiar with the application, will the documentation facilitate a short
learning curve for that type of end user?
Can I safely assume that my audience can understand the procedure if
explained in the basic mathematical terms...Or am I going to need
a somewhat more complex explanation?
I think that the old adage, "assume nothing" comes nicely into play here. I
believe that you serve your end user(s) well by developing the documentation
at the lowest possible level of understanding and then working your way up
the "cognitive ladder."
Your audience will appreciate a more complex explanation, if what they need
to know is harbored within your explanation. They may not need everything
you have included within the documentation, but that is easier to deal with
than (ultimately) not finding what they really need.
As an end user, I find too much information far more helpful than not enough
information.
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