RE: New TECHWR-L Poll Question

[Doug Van Dorn <dvandorn -at- gearworks -dot- com>]

I'm not only a tech writer, I'm a software usability testing engineer.  I
need to put myself in the position of the more average user when approaching
new software.  So I've gotten into the habit of opening the box, using the
product, and *then* looking up answers to questions I can't answer through
intuition.

Of course, nothing is ever black and white.  If there is obviously a danger
of either ruining the product or harming myself by using something without
at least a quick glance over the instructions, I use common sense and read
up on the pitfalls before I go blundering my way through... but, in general,
I only rarely read the manuals before I begin.  The complexity of the
design, my familiarity with the product function, and the intuitive nature
(or lack thereof) of the product determine how much I read the manual
*after* I get started.

Doug Van Dorn
Gearworks, Inc.
Eagan, MN

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*** Deva(tm) Tools for Dreamweaver and Deva(tm) Search ***
Build Contents, Indexes, and Search for Web Sites and Help Systems
Available now at http://www.devahelp.com or info -at- devahelp -dot- com

Sponsored by Information Mapping, Inc., a professional services firm
specializing in Knowledge Management and e-content solutions. See
http://www.infomap.com or 800-463-6627 for more about our solutions.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.