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Subject:An Engineer has infected my young mind! From:"Sierra Godfrey" <kittenbreath -at- hotbot -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Thu, 18 May 2000 12:26:34 -0700
I am a young, relatively inexperienced technical writer. Nevertheless, I have a permanent job where I am the only tech writer in the company. My boss and his boss, the president of the company, have both let me know they are pleased with my work.
But because I'm the only one here, and don't have much experience, I sometimes really question what I'm doing.
After a talk today with the software engineer who's product I'm writing a large manual for, I became confused. I'm hoping you Listers can help me sort things out.
The engineer insists the manual should be presented as a reference manual, with all the information there, and very little tutorial-style steps. I disagree--the product is complex and difficult to understand.
I feel the only way a customer will be able to wade through it is to know the necessary actions that must be performed to get it working and maitain it, and follow short steps to achieve them.
The engineer feels manuals should be read two to three times over, because the information is densse, and include all points. I disagree. There are different types of readers, to be sure, but my readers will not know anything about this product and will need a lifeboat--user-friendly, short steps. Not all the information at once, which they won't know what to do with.
I'm not sure I'm explaining myself well. The engineer has crazy ideas about documentation, and indeed will not let me have on my own, but first presents me with his version of the manual.
How do you all deal with what engineers want and what you know should be the correct way to present the info? How do you incorporate what the engineer, who knows the most about the product, is trying to say, while everyone else knows it's hard stuff to learn? Should I rephrase my question?
