Re: Re: "If the docs are too good..."

["Chuck Martin" <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>]

"Mailing List" <mlist -at- ca -dot- rainbow -dot- com> wrote in message
news:229327 -at- techwr-l -dot-  -dot-  -dot- 
>
> Chuck Martin [mailto:cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com]
>
> > That's all well and good, but when training and (especially) technical
> > support are considered profit centers by the bean counters,
> > there is little
> > incentive to improve the product (and its usability).
>

<snip>

>
> Could it have anything to do with a [speculated] natural
> human tendency to favor the 'personal' -- a human support
> agent that you happen to pay $120.00 per call -- versus
> an inhuman Online Help or a book that will provide much
> the same info, but not have a human face on it?
>
> If so, would that say anything about how we should adopt
> our Help and other documents to make them more likely
> to be used?... and usable?
>
> Is the verdict in, yet, on those programs that incorporate
> video guides/teachers, like at least one of the popular
> tax-preparation programs?  Does that "human face" (and
> voice) on the instructional aspects of the software make
> it more engaging and successful than a similarly capable
> counterpart that just has standard paper, PDF and Help
> documentation?  Hmm. I guess only H&R Block can answer
> that one (or is that a Canada-only reference?).
>
 Actually, I doubt seriously that anyone would "favor" technical support,
which has been another user bane since the day free support for WordPerfect
died. Spending valuable time on hold only to be given in-person stock
answers (the same that are sent in email) rather than real assistance does
not make for a happy (or productive!) user.

Skilled technical communicators *know* how to make user assistance both
usable and likely to be used, but often aren't allowed to.

But there's a more fundamental issue: the product itself. Products
inherently communicate. Whether they communicate their use or not is in
their design. User would rarely even need to use a Help system, no matter
how well designed, if the product itself is designed with user goals in
mind.

Because the "human face" that really matters isn't that of a tech support
person. It's that of the spouse or child or friend that you get to spend
more time with because you didn't have to spend all that time on the tech
support call and you were able to get your job done quicker.

Chuck Martin