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Re: Are User Surveys the best approach for defining your audienc
Subject:Re: Are User Surveys the best approach for defining your audienc From:Bex <rebeccaf -at- COMPNEWS -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Thu, 2 Feb 1995 17:31:30 +0000
On Thu, 2 Feb 1995, Doug, Data Librarian at Ext 4225 wrote:
> Kelly:
> This is written in response to:
> **********************
> My department has decided to "better define our end-user". We are
> considering taking the survey approach. Can anyone make suggestions as
> to some good questions to ask on a user survey? And how can we get
> them to send it back? We've got to start somewhere, but is a survey
> the best approach?
> **********************
> My off-the-cuff response to that last question is "no." IMHO, the best
> approach to "knowing thy user" is to walk a mile in his or her shoes (or
...
> Management is generally very reluctant to do this because of the time and
> expense involved; I had to search across several years and jobs before I
...
I agree that it is a good idea. But how do you deal with users who are
hostile to the idea of documentation being written in the first place - for
fear that it will make their jobs less secure - and who would be very
suspicious of the idea of someone from another dept (or company) offering
to learn their job?
