Re: Warm and Fuzzy Documentation

["Dick Margulis" <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net>]

I think those who are ridiculing Ginny's client for wanting the design to be warmer and fuzzier are missing a couple of points.

First, this is for a client--that is, a paying customer--not a manager. Advice about polishing her résumé doesn't seem appropriate. The customer may not always be right, but that doesn't make the conditions of employment an issue.

Second, we do not know the context in which the client is making the request. Perhaps the documentation if for a luxury retail item, where a certain level of elegance is going to make the customer happier about the inflated price. Or perhaps it is for software aimed at technological novices, where friendliness is a good thing. There are times when documents _should_ be warm and fuzzy. Making everything look like an engineering brief--just the facts, ma'am--is not always the best solution.


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