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.
...Is it a good idea to dismiss our readers as unimportant
because they are morons? No, bad idea. Think of them as morons who need to
be protected from themselves? Oh, probably a good idea.
They are definitely not Morons. They are mainstream users. We are, for the
most part, not mainstream users. You are probably a technical enthusiast.
But, if you depend on interviewing and SMEs to tell you the stuff you write,
then you are not a technical enthusiast either. So stop calling other people
Morons.
I've worked in companies where the developers thought users were either just
like them or Morons. They are neither. And, in every case those companies
are out of business today. The market can and does punish pride. If they
were so smart, why didn't they design a product and an interface that
reduced the need for manuals and training. Why couldn't they build a product
their users could use. Because, shock of shock, they were the MORONS!
And, if a user ever needs to be protected from an application, the
executives of the company that develops and sells that product should go to
jail. Because they are breaching trust not just with their company, but all
of us in the software industry. Broken trust can't be papered over.
