Re: Number of actions per step

[Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

First, I would complain about the software design ;-)

If they didn't change the software, I would write something like this:

> From the Cooking menu, select Brownies, then Best Fudge, then With Nuts.

   The recipe for Fudge Brownies with Nuts is displayed.

Some notes about why I'd do it this way:
-While I'm a strong believer in "one action per step", breaking up each
menu selection as a separate action complicates, rather than simplifies,
the procedure. It also highlights the software's silly design (with
regard to sub and sub-sub menus), which you don't want to do if you
don't have to. The greater-than sign I used represents a one-step
bullet, which I would use if this procedure only had this one step.
-The passive voice "is displayed" is deliberate and this is one of the
few cases where I find it appropriate.

Mmmm. Fudge brownies....

A.
--
Alexia Prendergast
Senior Technical Writer
Seagate Software
mailto:alexiap -at- sems -dot- com

>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Marie C. Paretti [SMTP:mparetti -at- RRINC -dot- COM]
>Sent:  Monday, September 15, 1997 11:50 AM
>To:    TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject:       Number of actions per step
>
>I realize there's not a single standard answer to this question, but when
>y'all are writing step by step menu procedures, how many menu choices do
>you put in a given step (I'm working on software that has several layers of
>submenus, and sometimes the actual submenu choices change with individual
>customer's systems).  I.e. would you write:
>
>        * On the Cooking menu, point to Brownies, then point toBest Fudge,
>then
>select With Nuts.  The system will open the recipe for Fudge Brownies With
>Nuts.
>
>Or would you write
>
>        1. On the Cooking menu, point to Brownies.  You will see a submenu
>listing
>various types of brownies.
>        2.  Point to Fudge; you will see a submenu listing several different
>options based on the recipes you installed at startup.
>        3. Choose With Nuts.  The system will open the recipe for Fudge
>Brownies
>With Nuts.
>
>Or would you come up with some other alternative.  In other words, how much
>is too much in a single step?
>
>Marie
>(who would really like some fudge brownies about now)
>
>
>Marie C. Paretti
>Department of English                           Recognition Research, Inc.
>University of Wisconsin - Madison        Blacksburg, Virginia
>mparetti -at- facstaff -dot- wisc -dot- edu                        mparetti -at- rrinc -dot- com
>
>               Sometimes I feel like a dog
>               standin' on a tool box
>               in the back of a pickup truck
>               doin' 90 round a corner
>               just tryin' to hang on for dear life.
>                                                      James Bonamy
>
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