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Subject:Re: Making them read the documentation From:Kandis Weiner <kandis -at- toonboom -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Apr 2001 13:47:29 -0400
michelle -dot- black -at- sickkids -dot- ca wrote:
>
> I agree with the last suggestion of finding out why they don't read it.
> Moreover, my first thought was that they might feel more committed to reading
> your manual if you asked them at some point--preferably earlier--during the
> development of the manual.
I whole heartedly agree with this thought: get users involved as early
as possible and they will become more committed to your documentation
and to your product!
I'm in the midst of a Edtech Masters degree and recently we have been
looking at theories that are described as "Learner-Centered".
One of the key issues in the "Learner-Centered" approach is motivation.
Learner's have to be motivated to exert the effort to learn. Although
this is pretty obvious, we don't talk about motivation in technical
communication, but it is certainly a major issue. People are unwilling
to read the documentation because they are not motivated to do so (for
any number of reasons).
One of the strategies for getting a learner motivated is to involve them
in the process of deciding what and how they learn (with guidance from
people who know the topic). Learners who feel a sense of personal
investment in the process are more likely to exert needed effort to
learn. Perhaps we can borrow something from learning theories and get
our users motivated to use the documentation by involving them more in
the documentation process.
My fantasy is to create some kind of direct communication channel with
users, to get as close as to them and their needs. Surveys are one
(limited) tool, interviews are better, list-servs would work too.
Demonstrating real interest in user concerns would certainly contribute
to the creation of a pretty loyal community of users who might also
consider using the documentation before calling support.
Now the question is, how to do this when short-term financial and time
constraints prohibit exploration...
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