Re: Documentation Usability

Subject: Re: Documentation Usability
From: "Murrell, Thomas" <TMurrell -at- ALLDATA -dot- NET>
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 08:19:29 -0400

Melroy,

A lot will depend on the answers to questions not asked in your previous
post. Are these three units the only differences involved? If so, possibly
a chapter on each would be sufficient along with instructions directing the
reader to the appropriate chapter.

However, if there are other differences that are dependent on which unit the
user has, then you need to assess how broad those differences are.

Also, what has your audience analysis told you about what your audience
might expect in this documentation? Are they willing to make decisions and
skip around the document, or do you need to lead them in a straight line
from beginning to end? And are we talking installation here, or operations,
or something else? (Or, heaven forbid, all three and more in one?)

Tom Murrell
Senior Technical Writer, Alliance Data Systems, Inc.
CAD4A - (614)729-4364
Fax: (614)729-4499
mailto:tmurrell -at- alldata -dot- net

> ----------
> From: Melroy and Althea D'Souza[SMTP:altroy -at- WORLDNET -dot- ATT -dot- NET]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 11:46 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Documentation Usability
>
> Hi,
>
> We are trying to determine the best way to present information in a user's
> manual on three different form factors of a product sold to business users
> (not home users). For example, PCs or computer cases can come as a
> desktop
> unit (horizontal), a mid-tower unit (vertical) or a full-tower unit
> (vertical), but with the same internal components. Is it better to
> present
> information on all the three cases in a single manual, or have a separate
> manual for each of the form factors? I realize there are several factors
> that one might need to consider, but considering the usability of that
> information for a corporate or business user, what is the best way of
> doing
> this?
> Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Melroy
>

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