Re: A technique to get on development's good side

Subject: Re: A technique to get on development's good side
From: Chuck Martin <cm -at- writeforyou -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 14:22:11 -0700




John Posada wrote:

I always have an issue with this, because most writers I talk to
have no idea who their users are or what they should be advocating!
A tech writer is not a user advocate any more than a developer is
or a tester is or a marketeer is or a tech support rep is.


I agree. If you were to be a fly on the wall of a list where
responsible developers discuss issues, I don't think you'll ever hear
"Screw the user...I want this feature in only because it is cool."

As one who wears his "usability" heart on his sleeve, I find I cannot agree. In fact, I have heard statements by developers long the very lines you suggest, not on developer lits, but in meetings and in one-on-one conversations, heard from developers, from marketing, even from project management. Frequently the sentiment is uttered not so much along the lines of "screw the user" but of "users are dumb."



I don't like it when tech writers beat the "user advocacy" drum. I
feel that those who do are missing the point entirely and are just
grasping at buzzwords to justify their reason for having a role in
their company.


Agreed.


Many people involved in product develpoment, while proclaiming their predelection for putting users first in the public statements, perform predictably counter to that theme in real life. Developers, for example, are often more interested in getting a feature working than making it usable. Product managers are constrained by the strnglehold of deadlines, and creating and implementing usable product designs usually takes more resource than they are willing to commit. Senior management answers not to the buying public but to stockholders or VCs, both of which have but one goal: return on their investment.

In short, very few people in the chain truly, by their actions, have users first in mind.


--
--
Chuck Martin
User Assistance & Experience Engineer
cm "at" writeforyou "dot" com www.writeforyou.com

"I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
The day may come when the courage of Men fail, when we forsake our
friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day!
This day, we fight!"
- Aragorn

"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you."
- Gandalf

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