RE: Screen captures (was RE: TECHWR-L Digest, Vol 35, Issue 14)

["Jon Leer" <jleer -at- leertech -dot- net>]

You got to be kidding? Companies doing research on effectiveness of
documentation? (Sorry for the sarcasm.) 

What would be helpful if customer service asked customers and the customer
service reps fielding customer issues if they read the manual.


Jon Leer
Leer Technical Communications
Bedford, NH
Providing Technical and Business Writing
603-315-4029
jleer -at- leertech -dot- net
http://www.leertech.net

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jleer=leertech -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jleer=leertech -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
Rob Hudson
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 5:21 PM
To: Boudreaux, Madelyn (GE Healthcare, consultant)
Cc: Michael West; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Screen captures (was RE: TECHWR-L Digest, Vol 35, Issue 14)

 >>Real-world business results trump "research" every time.

How does one measure success in technical writing and documentation in 
the "real world"? Do many companies conduct usability studies on the 
help file, or do they assume that users are proficient because of the 
help file?

I guess I'm asking whether real-world business uses "research," 
research, or another method to determine the efficacy of help.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ComponentOne Doc-To-Help gives you everything you need to author and 
publish quality Help, Web, and print content. Perfect for technical 
authors, developers, and policy writers. Download a FREE trial.
http://www.componentone.com/DocToHelp/

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

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