RE: Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual)

Subject: RE: Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual)
From: "Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>
To: "'Jennifer Baldwin'" <jbaldwin -at- desertdocs -dot- com>, "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:17:08 -0800

What Microsoft is discussing sounds like guideline for marketing
documentation or white paper. Use of "you" is important in marcomm where
the owner of the document (Microsoft in this case) wants buy-in from the
audience.

"User-centric" documentation where the user already has the product and
where the documentation describes how to use something can sound too
aggressive when "you" is used. "You" sounds like the user "must" do
something rather than "this is what to do." "You need to click File -> Open
and select a file to open a file" commands the user to do something. "Click
File -> Open and select a file to open a file" is how to do something and
the user can choose to do this or not.

"Buyer-centric" (can we use that as a term) documentation does need to
empower the audience to get buy-in. Empowerment (or "Encouragement," since
Microsoft wants to use a different word) in marketing documentation is not a
new concept and its purpose is to get a buyer to buy.

When a user is using a system and using documentation to understand that
system, then the documentation should state what the system will do. We
don't like to see computers come alive and "act," but computer software does
automate many tasks, so we need to comprimise some of our views to
communicate what is happening in the system. System processes are not all
manual. So "when you do this, that will happen" is not always the case
because there are system processes involved. "Click 'Run' and the system
will run" is more accurate and precise than stating that the user caused
something.

The tone chosen for the documentation also must consider the purpose of the
documentation (marketing or manual) and the audience (user or buyer).

Lauren

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Jennifer Baldwin
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 8:31 AM
> To: Techwr-l
> Subject: RE: Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual)
>
> Along the same lines as this discussion on anthropomorphism,
> Microsoft posted some guidelines to their site regarding the
> Windows Vista "tone",
> including:
>
> "Encouraging. Use language that conveys that the software
> empowers users to do things, rather than allows them to do
> things. For example, use 'you can' rather than 'Windows lets
> you' or 'this feature allows you.'
> (Exception: it's okay to use 'allow' when referring to
> features-such as security features-that permit or deny an action.)"
>
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-
> us/UxGuide
> /UXGuide/Text/TextAndTone.asp
>
>
> - Jennifer Baldwin
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