Re: Useful and not-so-useful user feedback

Subject: Re: Useful and not-so-useful user feedback
From: "D. Michael McIntyre" <michael -dot- mcintyre -at- rosegardenmusic -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:27:43 -0500

On Tuesday 13 February 2007 12:23 pm, Geoff Hart wrote:
> Complicated and fragile processes need to be simplified and made more
> robust. You can't solve those problems (bad design) through
> documentation, and anyone who believes otherwise is a fool. I'm sure
> you'll hear the argument "this is too complex to simplify", but
> that's evidence of poor design skills and ignorance of user behavior
> more often than evidence of a truly insoluble problem.

Wow, this one strikes close to home. I can't disagree with the futility of
trying to solve problems of this nature through documentation, but the corner
of Linuxdom I occupy takes complicated and fragile to mind boggling extremes.
The problems may not be insoluble, but solutions have been incredibly
elusive, and difficult. The whole Linux audio thing is a morass. Linux more
broadly is still a morass.

It's just impossible to predict what kind of environment the reader will have,
unless you limit the documentation very narrowly, and thus narrow its focus
to what you guess is the largest audience, or else develop MIRV
documentation. (Multiple Independently-taRgeted Versions, and you read it
here first folks, I want royalties on that.)

Hopefully she has a more carefully controlled target environment than what I
face trying to write for the whole of Linuxdom as though it were some kind of
cohesive whole, when it assuredly is not.
--
D. Michael McIntyre
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help &amp; Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40infoinfocus.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.


References:
useful and not-so-useful user feedback: From: Kimberly McClintock
Useful and not-so-useful user feedback: From: Geoff Hart

Previous by Author: Re: term need: regarding software development
Next by Author: Re: Why oh why oh why
Previous by Thread: Useful and not-so-useful user feedback
Next by Thread: Re: Useful and not-so-useful user feedback


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads