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Subject:Training guides vs user guides? From:"Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 2 Nov 2000 07:55:50 -0500
Mario wonders <<How can I sum up in a few sentences the differences between
training guides and the general user guides?>>
A training guide is usually, but not always, something that supports
classroom exercises provided by a trainer. Sometimes self-teaching guides
(e.g., the tutorials that accompany most software documentation) are also
included under "training guides", but arguing whether they belong under the
same heading or not would be splitting semantic hairs: the goal in both
cases is to support _learning_. In contrast, a user guide is designed to
support _use_ of the product once you already (more or less) know how to use
it. Obviously, there's considerable overlap between the categories, but
that's a decent first cut at separating the two.
"Technical writing... requires understanding the audience, understanding
what activities the user wants to accomplish, and translating the often
idiosyncratic and unplanned design into something that appears to make
sense."--Donald Norman, The Invisible Computer
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