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.
> Would it be possible to combine all the different manuals into one, with product version identified where there's a difference?
That's actually what I'm trying to avoid, because I think that will reduce the usability of the manual.
Our product is a system that generates high-energy (neighborhood of 6 MeV) X-rays, uses high voltage, and uses toxic gasses for some types of X-ray production. One of the systems weighs 80,000 lbs and rolls on rails using remote control. Some are mounted in vehicles. As I've been known to say, "Our product can kill you in every way imaginable." Normally the products require one person to operate, but there are also options that require two system operators.
I have safety concerns.
Also, the price for the systems is in the seven figure range. Physical configurations are significantly and visibly different, I think when a customer pays that much money for a product, the cover of the operator manual ought to look like what the customer bought.
And this manager isn't involved in the review process. He's trying to avoid writing a half dozen ECOs when a change to the system impacts a half dozen different versions of the product.
--Rick
From: Kathleen MacDowell [mailto:kathleen -dot- eamd -at- gmail -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 10:19 AM
To: Lippincott, Richard
Cc: Techwr-l List (techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com)
Subject: Re: FW: Usability Studies and Manual Organization
Would it be possible to combine all the different manuals into one, with product version identified where there's a difference?
Also, could you find a way to reduce the manager's effort? For example, you could highlight the changes and send a note specifying the type of change (e.g., major/minor, GUI change, grammar, org).
Kathleen
On Tue, Jan 21, 2014 at 4:27 PM, Lippincott, Richard <RLippincott -at- as-e -dot- com<mailto:RLippincott -at- as-e -dot- com>> wrote:
I'm fighting a battle for about the fourth or fifth time here, and I could use some studies or documentation to support my point.
To make a long story short (and those of you who know me know how difficult this is), we're using printed manuals because that's what the customers prefer. When we roll out a variation of a product, if the variation is significant enough to change the operator's workflow or significantly changes the GUI, I issue a new manual (new part number) keyed to that product variation.
There is a program manager here who feels that the best way to handle these variations is to stick an appendix or addendum at the end of the baseline manual, and let the user flip pages. (The actual truth, which he has admitted, is that if we only had one manual to cover all of the product variations, his paperwork level would be smaller and he would prefer that.)
I'm sure that someone has done some scholarly work analyzing reductions in usability and readability when new data is shoved into an appendix, and perhaps even the impact on safety.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Rick Lippincott, Technical Writer
American Science and Engineering, Inc. | www.as-e.com<http://www.as-e.com>
829 Middlesex Turnpike | Billerica, MA 01821 USA | Fax +1-978-262-8702<tel:%2B1-978-262-8702>
Office +1-978-262-8807<tel:%2B1-978-262-8807> | rlippincott -at- as-e -dot- com<mailto:rlippincott -at- as-e -dot- com>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doc-To-Help: new website, content widgets, and an output that works on any screen.
Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com
Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
--
Kathleen MacDowell
kathleen -dot- eamd -at- gmail -dot- com<mailto:kathleen -dot- eamd -at- gmail -dot- com>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doc-To-Help: new website, content widgets, and an output that works on any screen.