RE: Studies relating to documentation density and getting the user to read the manuals

Subject: RE: Studies relating to documentation density and getting the user to read the manuals
From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
To: "The Documentation Doctor" <documentationdoctor -at- googlemail -dot- com>, <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:15:29 -0500

The Documentation Doctor mentioned:
> Hi folks
>
> I'm hoping I can tap your collective wisdom.
>
> A client has the common problem that users don't read the installation
> manuals.
>
> Historically, the response has been to beef up the
> installation manuals with
> big warning boxes highlighting the importance of particular
> steps; so much
> so that the warnings duplicate about 30% of the procedure. In
> addition, to
> make the manuals more friendly, each and every dialogue box
> and message is
> documented and illustrated. Even so, users still tend to
> skim, skip steps
> and get into a mess.
>
> My contention is that users are more likely to read
> documentation that is
> terse and does not contain redundant information, and that a
> single "Follow
> the steps or suffer the consequences" warning will suffice.

When we were a smaller company, I had the support reps trained to
discourage that sort of thing by means of embarrassment. Some people
are, of course, immune to embarrassment.

But most people get the idea (and don't repeat) when the support rep
prefaces every step in an instruction with "... then, as it says on page
xx of the manual..."

I've always wanted to put something on the first content page of an
installation or config manual (perhaps even on the cover) on the order
of:
"Do you like embarrassment?

"If you follow these steps, it should just work. If you don't follow
these steps, if you skip any, it probably won't work, and when you call
Support, they will know your name, and they will know that you didn't
just follow the steps - as they talk you through just following the
steps. They probably won't be making faces and snickering, because they
are too professional, but ... you could have just followed the steps,
and you wouldn't have to wonder."

I've never been allowed to do that, but I live in hope. Some day.


- Kevin
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References:
Studies relating to documentation density and getting the user to read the manuals: From: The Documentation Doctor

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