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Re: Transitioning user expectations from feature to task-based information?
Subject:Re: Transitioning user expectations from feature to task-based information? From:Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 02 Feb 2005 14:15:47 -0500
Mandy wondered: <<So here’s an interesting problem I’ve run into—I’ve
been revising our product docs to be task-based rather than
feature-based, but there are several users, mostly internal (and
management), who think about the product in terms of its features and
who are apparently having a hard time finding information in the new
task-based structure.>>
Insert Dilbert cartoon here. <g> But sarcasm aside, you've just been
handed a valuable piece of audience analysis information: you now know
that you have two different audiences, with different expectations from
the documentation. Use this to your advantage!
<<For example, one used emailed my manger to say that he was looking in
the ToC for information on the Transaction framework, but couldn’t find
it. The information was in the document, but under “Creating Composite
Transactions” which, in the first sentence explained that you use the
Transaction framework to create composite transactions. Using Search in
the PDF returned “transaction framework”, but the user was only looking
in the ToC.>>
One simple solution is to provide two tables of contents; one for the
tasks, and one for the features. This only costs you a page or two of
space, and suddenly you've met the needs of two very different
audiences.
<<So, how do you teach old doc users new doc tricks?>>
In general, you don't. You have very little power to make anyone change
how they use information unless you're formally teaching them in a
classroom environment and grading how well they change. Even then,
you're fighting the users rather than taking advantage of their
strengths, and that's rarely a good idea.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
www.geoff-hart.com
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