Documenting for the non-typical user? WAS: Fields arranged as a s entence

Subject: Documenting for the non-typical user? WAS: Fields arranged as a s entence
From: Jim Shaeffer <jims -at- spsi -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 15:16:54 -0500


I agree with Mike Bradley (quoted below) and with the other
advice I've seen posted so far.

However, you do use the word "mostly". Documenting for our
typical users is good, but if non-typical users are going to
cause 80% of the support calls, shouldn't our documentation
target them? Focusing on the typical user may not be the
best way to maximize the value of our work.

Jim Shaeffer (jims -at- spsi -dot- com)

> > The audience will mostly be from our own stable of
> > experts--our typical customer doesn't configure our
> > software. They pay us to do it. So the
> > audience are experts, not novices who need much help
> > understanding what the fields mean.
> >
> > Anyone have strong feelings about this? Suggestions?
>
> Since you have such a specific target audience and ready
> access to them, you
> should just ask 'em and give 'em what they want.
>
> = Mike Bradley
> Tech Pubs


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