TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: When to use screenshots From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 16 Feb 2005 10:20:04 -0600
As with so much else, I am more in the "it depends" camp than anything else.
If documentation being done is for the "clueless newbie" types of end
users, it is appropriate that the documentation do a little more "hand
holding." For these users, screenshots may be more useful as they give
a visual reassurance that they are at the right point in the process
being described. It is for these users that there are entire series of
third-party books such as "XYZ Visually" that are practically nothing
*but* screenshots with explanatory captions.
Quick reference guides are another place where judicious use of
screenshots with appropriate callouts seem appropriate.
In manuals for advanced users, though, I believe screen shots should
be limited to only those areas of a screen that give useful
information and then only when the screen shot adds some sort of
useful information given more simply this way than by description in
text. Such things as UI icons that do not have text labels can be
helpful here...particularly in applications such as the more
convoluted ones that have rows of these icons.
I agree fully with John that tech writers are by no means typical of
the vast majority of users we write for. This is why getting constant
feedback from tech support and typical users is important. Those firms
that do not permit customer contact by tech writers, I believe, are
not serious about having the best documentation and the improvements
in customer satisfaction that can flow from that.
David
> I'm in the "screenshots are good" camp. I maintain that we are not
> typical of the users to whom we're writing. We, on a whole, are not
> intimidated by applications...we see them as challenges. OTOH, most
> of the people I've written toward appreciate the feedback that
> confirms they are doing it right, and comparing where they are to
> where they should be has always worked in my favor.
WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo: http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Doc-To-Help 7.5 Professional: New version with new features, improved performance and reliability, plus much more! Download your free trial today at www.componentone.com/techwrlfeb.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
