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: User Centered Data From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 28 Mar 1996 11:38:46 -0800
At 10:25 AM 3/28/96 -0800, CARYN_RIZELL -at- hp-roseville-om2 -dot- om -dot- hp -dot- com wrote:
>Item Subject: cc:Mail Text
> Sue Gallagher wrote about the guidelines she endorses for writing
> user-centered documentation.
> Sue, did you do research on these? I really liked your basic ideas.
> If you did do some research, could you elaborate on it? I think it is
> very useful stuff.
Some of the information comes from my own usability testing.
Some of the information comes from:
various newsletters, such as Jared Spool's UIETips
(highly recommended, BTW)
the utest list
conversations with other usability professionals
(e.g., Kent Sullivan @ Microsoft)
One of the problems in researching usability issues that relate to
ever-changing technology is that there is no (or very little source
material. Much of the information is either empirical evidence or
word-of-mouth. By the time the information hits the bookshelves,
it's old news.
It's certainly a field that takes a lot of energy to keep up with,
but I feel it's worth it because of the positive effect on my end-
product.
-Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- expersoft -dot- com