RE: levels of detail -- are we beyond this?

Subject: RE: levels of detail -- are we beyond this?
From: "Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>
To: "Tom Johnson" <tomjohnson1492 -at- gmail -dot- com>, "TECHWR-L'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:37:38 -0600

Tom Johnson wrote:

> I just ran into some detailed instructions on going to a website that
look
> like this:
>
> 1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking *Start* > *Programs* >
*Internet
> Explorer*.
> 2. In the *Address* field, enter *http://sampleurl.com* and press
> *Enter*.
>
>
> Is it me, or is this kind of detail totally unnecessary in this day
and
> age?
> I'd say 99% of the time, people will understand the much simpler
version:
> "1. Go to http://sampleurl.com.";

Let me be the first to say both "It Depends" and "Know Your Audience."
:-)

That said, unless the doc is _clearly_ aimed at the novice computer
user, this level of detail is not just unnecessary, it's positively
_harmful_. The reader who's owned a computer for more than three days
will be put off and will either stop reading completely or will start
skimming disinterestedly, half-heartedly looking for the useful parts,
and will be more likely to miss something important.

IMHO.

Richard


Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------






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References:
levels of detail -- are we beyond this?: From: Tom Johnson

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