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.
Subject:Re: Teach 'em to fish, don't give 'em fish From:Carol Carmick <Carol_Carmick -at- BEAV -dot- INTERSOLV -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 Apr 1993 16:26:00 LCL
>My point is that we want to write/design documentation to teach users to fish
>rather than just giving them fish.
I wobble back and forth on this fence. I am a curious user, and
I want to encourage curiosity in my readers. But I hate to wade
through a morass of theoretical underpinnings when what I really
need is simple instructions.
To borrow your metaphor: When I'm hungry, I don't want a lecture
on fly-tying. I want a tuna sandwich, and I want it NOW.
I think the challenge is to structure the information so that the
how-come information is available but avoidable (easy if you have
hypertext!). Failing that, I've started putting the conceptual
information after the procedure. This offends my writerly
vanity, but I think it makes the topics more usable.
