Re: Thinking like a user, or sticking to tried and true?

Subject: Re: Thinking like a user, or sticking to tried and true?
From: arroxaneullman -at- aol -dot- com
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 10:39:27 -0500

I faced the same issue when updating documentation here. I decided to keep the overviews, but make them as short and simple as possible. Almost like bulletpoints--esily skimmed.

Most of our users will skip this section, but it's there for the curious.

My one cent (only using half the brain today).

:)
Arroxane

-----Original Message-----
From: thejavaguy -at- gmail -dot- com
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Sent: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 5:32 AM
Subject: Thinking like a user, or sticking to tried and true?

I am working on a short document that is going to be used to train
some network technicians on how to copy settings from one router to
another. The documents that this document was based on have had an
overview section at the beginning. The document that was delivered to
me to edit & format didn't have any content in this section, but I
could fairly easily create content based on the rest of the document.

However, in thinking about what my users are like (my SMEs are also
net techs), I realize that they're going to immediately skip the
overview and jump right into the nitty gritty. So, the question is
whether to think like a user and leave off the overview, or create one
because "there's always been one" and because "it's good practice to
start by telling them what you're going to tell them and end with
telling them what you told them."

Which do you do when you're faced with this decision? And why?

-- -David Castro
thejavaguy -at- gmail -dot- com


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References:
Thinking like a user, or sticking to tried and true?: From: David Castro

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