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.
Subject:RE: If you could ask your users a question... From:"Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Jul 2001 08:40:33 -0600
re: Tomorrow morning, I have a chance to visit a customer site. If you had
this chance, what questions would you ask to get accurate feedback, so you
could improve your doc?
It would be good to step back and recognize that you as tech writer are part
of a team with the product designer and that the manual/online help is just
another feature of the product. It should certainly be the designers' goal
to design a product so intuitive that referencing the manual or online help
is hardly ever required. Before you go you should obviously be aware of
what's intuitive and what's not as regards your product. So, unless your
manual exists in a field where reading the manual is mandatory by policy,
I'd make the first question series go along the lines of ...
1. How do you like the product?
2. Did you need to use the manual?
if "yes"
a. For what procedure(s)?
b. Did you get your answer?
c. Was it easy or hard to get your answer?
if "no"
a. Does the product give you everything you expected?
b. (Ask if user actually performed some procedures you're aware of.) If
no, learn why not and explore the notion that the procedures are covered in
the manual/help--perhaps user was afraid to try. This is useful even when
answer to question 2 was "yes." That is, make it question 3 in that
circumstance.
The feedback provided will then help the whole team--both the writer and the
designer. And, I'm rather certain you'll get less cooperation if you
emphasize the manual and not the product.
*** 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
Learn about tools and technologies for user assistance developers at
The Help Technology Conference, August 21-24 in Boston, MA
Details and online registration at http://www.SolutionsEvents.com
---
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.
