Re: Reading the manual as a last report

["Edwin Skau" <eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Usually, the neighbourhood expert represents more ethos and pathos than all
the logos the user manual can muster. Help is usually sought from someone
who has a reputation for solving similar issues, or just *issues* in
general.

Your user manual may be the best thing in the universe, but if the reader
has plodded through a pile of textual crap before, your document will be
regarded as just that much more commode fodder.

Edwin

OK., so this isn't what you asked for...









On 3/25/06, Anameier, Christine A - Eagan, MN - Contractor <
christine -dot- a -dot- anameier -at- usps -dot- gov> wrote:
>
> Arroxane wrote:
> >  I believe that 'somebody' was me. . . .
>
> There actually was a different post by somebody else that cited a
> study... I remember it mentioned asking someone in the next cube or next
> office, then turning to a company's internal tech support, then trying
> external vendor tech support, and then finally reaching for the manual.
>
> I appreciate your repost, though. You make a very good point about how
> users tend to go for the fastest source of information.
>
> thanks!
> Christine
>
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