Re: Source for statistics on the technical writing field

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

And most all of these people are the way they are by choice, at least in 
the US, Canada and Western Europe.  The people who are resistant to 
changing to software and don't even know how to use a mouse in the 
situations you describe have not been denied access to computers; they 
have for the most part avoided them by choice, and will continue to do 
so unless they are provided with tools that are instantly intuitive or 
hold their hands from beginning to end (touchscreens instead of mice, 
talking interfaces, etc.).  "Good end-user documentation" for most of 
those that succeed will be embedded in the tools.

Gene Kim-Eng


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kat Kuvinka" <katkuvinka -at- hotmail -dot- com>
I don't agree. I think we use computers every day so we think everybody 
else does. They affect most of us, for sure. But my point was not 
whether we decide if the ATM is preferable to the live teller, or if 
should we do our taxes online. My last job involved software for the 
printing industry. There is a lot of resistance to changing from 
scheduling on a white board to scheduling using a software package. Now 
I am writing for the medical industry, and finding that some doctors 
can't even use a mouse. Good end-user documentation is still needed, and 
it should be developed by good communicators who can write without 
assuming their audience can use a simple UI.

I know a lot of people who don't own or use computers, cell phones, or 
even cars.


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