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: Do we need to document all UI elements? From:Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:18:49 -0700 (PDT)
I'm trying to respond to a message I can't see; please bear with me. Someone posted a message on this thread and it showed up in my spam box. When I tried to mark it "not spam," the message was deleted so I can no longer refer to it.
Anyway, the writer addressed my point that I thought it was unnecessary to document UI elements that were glaringly obvious, like the "Send" button on an email program UI. He said that in some cases, the "Send" button might do something different from expectations, like trigger a different program instead of simply transmit the message.
In a case like that, obviously the user needs to be warned that what he sees might not be what he gets. It's part of the job to check the UI element and ensure it really does what it says, before deciding whether to write something about it. We're not supposed to stop at seeing if it quacks like a duck, we're supposed to also check that it swims.
But also, in a case like that, someone is guilty of bad UI design, and the other thing the tech writer needs to do is send information back up the project chain to report a usability problem. It may not make any difference in a company that is not concerned with usability (and there are some), but it's the right thing to do.
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
