Re: Documenting software

[Alessandro Bottoni <bottoni -at- CADLAB -dot- IT>]

Kathy Stanzler
Technical Writer
Brooktrout Technology Inc.
Southborough, MA
(508) 786-9182
kking -at- brooktrout -dot- com

 

Wrote:

"For those of you who document software applications, how much of what
you do is documenting the GUI and how much of it is documenting the
underlying structure, the means by which the GUI is implemented? In
other words, how important is it, do you think, for tech writers to
understand the inner workings of the software?"

 

In my opinion, is:

 

GUI Description = 70%

Working Mechanism Description = 30%

 

We work on 3D CAD and EDM/PDM software.

 

As someone else pointed out, our main aim is to explain how to accomplish a task, rather than describe a system. The description of the tool required, that is the GUI controls, and of the techniques involved, that is the underlying working mechanism, is just a consequence of that.

 

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Alessandro Bottoni
Technical Writer
Cad.Lab SPA
Bologna, Italy
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