Documentation not as important anymore?

Subject: Documentation not as important anymore?
From: Anatole Wilson <awilson -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 09:38:38 PDT

Here'a a quote from a magazine called Newsbytes. It's about an industry
study conducted by Sentry Market Research:


" Looking back further into industry history, Walsh observed that,
ten years ago, documentation was the most important feature to
software buyers. Today, though, corporate concern over documentation
is far outweighed by interest in support, with 72 percent of
respondents rating support, service and training as "very important,"
and only 47 percent doing so for documentation.
Ease-of-use, the number one feature last year, with "very
important" ratings from 66 percent of survey participants, is
slightly behind support this year with a 71 percent score. "

The obvious conclusions are that the customers don't really understand
what they need (if they read the manuals they wouldn't need so much support),
and that they're obviously not making the connection between good
documentation and ease-of-use.

So what do we do, as technical communicators, to get customers to make
these connections? A manager or exec readin this study might conclude
their money is better spent on a couple of people answering service calls
rather than on writers, designers, online help-building software, and
printing costs.



================================
Anatole Wilson "We are all interested in the
Sr. Assoc. Information Developer future, for that is where you
IBM, Santa Teresa Labs and I will spend the rest of
our lives."
awilson -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com --Griswell Predicts,
all company disclaimers apply "Plan 9 From Outer Space"
================================


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