[3160] in TECHWR-L
Re: Re[2]: More personable tech writing
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Stephen Bernhardt)
Thu Nov 11 11:55:41 1993
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1993 09:24:46 -0700
Reply-To: "Technical Writers List; for all Technical Communication issues" <TECHWR-L%OSUVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
From: Stephen Bernhardt <sbernhar@NMSU.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L <TECHWR-L%OSUVM1.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <9311102244.AA20517@dante>
Personable may have the wrong connotations for what we are after. We
know that users can be helped by appropriate governing metaphors that help
them build an appropriate and useful model of how the system works. We
also know that scenarios are frequently helpful, especially as new users
are introduced to ways that features of an application might be exploited.
It helps, too, if a manual and index adopt anticipated user's terms while
tying them to the
application's terms. A good doc package helps users speak a shared
language with the application.
So I would say we would like documentation that works well in human terms,
that recognizes and responds to the ways that people tend to learn best.
Such documentation will feel natural and comfortable because it is
designed with human intelligence.
steve
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> Stephen A. Bernhardt >
> Department of English, Box 3E >
> New Mexico State University >
> Las Cruces, NM 88003 >
> 505-646-2027 FAX 505-646-7725 >
> e-mail sbernhar@nmsu.edu >
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