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RE: The coming predominance of user experience and technicalcommunications
Subject:RE: The coming predominance of user experience and technicalcommunications From:"Simon North" <Simon -dot- North -at- quintiq -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:14:27 +0200
Gene Kim-Eng asked
Why do you think that technical communicators/writers have
any more insight into what makes a better user interface than
the people who design them now?.......
I progressed from paper and pencil to DTP, to online help, to IETMs,
to multimedia, and to the Web. Each step brought me closer to being
a 'developer' and along that path I learned/taught myself a lot about
design, graphics, semiotics, cognitive psychology, ergonomics,
interface
design.
At the same time, I progressed from 'what does this button do?' to
'why is this button different to the other dialogs' to 'wouldn't it
make more sense if this field caption said ... ?" to "hey guys, here's
my appraisal of the software for this function, I'd like to make the
following suggestions ..." to "yes boss, I'll work with the team and
we'll develop the interface; I'll produce 2 help topics and these
three embedded help panels ... J. is doing the initial dialogs, but
I'll do the final work."
User interfaces are, among other things, about communication between
the software and the user ... 'here I am, you can do this with me, like
this,
then this, and then you do this ...." Microsoft called them inductive
interfaces,
and I am still trying to get a grip on user experience (which is both
where I
see and want to see my career going), but the bottom line is about
communication and as a technical writer, I *do* communication.
Simon.
Simon North, Technical Writer.
Quintiq Application Software BV
's Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
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