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Subject:Re: An Engineer has infected my young mind! From:"Edwin Skau" <eddy_skau -at- mailcity -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Fri, 19 May 2000 10:42:41 +0530
Yo!
I have the time and the inclination for this.
First of all, we seem to have this eternal stereotype image
of the end-user. Although we are nice enough to break them up
into categories, from moron to omniscient, the break-up is pretty stagnant, and has not been upgraded for a long while.
Not everyone that uses an application is a doofus who inherited a
P-III when his nerd uncle died from a disk crash. Most of today's users are pretty informed, and know what they're buying and why.
If the application you are working on is for a specialised field, there is a very good possibility that the users have a better understanding of what it is expected to accomplish, than you do, unless you yourself belong to that field.
Coming to the point.
I would believe that the engineer has spent a lot more time on the project than you have. If the application is well-designed, that means, the user has been profiled well and the application synergizes with their regular procedure and work flow. The first release of a software application is usually aimed at a market that will gobble up the product. You may be surprised to learn that many of these users need a whole lot less explaining than YOU did.
A reference manual is usually what accompanies a first release. Further tutorials and user guides should be based on feedback
via an informative feedback form that goes with the reference
manual. If your information is based on actual user queries and
NOT ON YOUR PRESUMPTION, it will serve the end user better.
The engineer is not your enemy. He is the one that creates a job
for you. Respect his opinion, ask him for reasons, evaluate them
and then give good reasons for not accepting them. If he has an attitude problem, you are not going to make work easier by wearing one of your own. And remember, no matter how good your boss thinks you are, it is easier to let go of a writer than an engineer.
Have a great day.
eddy
All opinions expressed above a mine alone, and are not the official opinion of my company, which has nothing to do with my thought process. However, if we can wring out a royalty, the company would like to have 70 percent.
