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> I could be wrong but it seems like the new innovations (Google Glass and such) just bring the UI closer to our bodies. And as you both suggest, there's very little need left for user help in these kinds of things.
I see Google Glass as a huge opportunity. Have you seen what Audi is doing to the owner's manual for the A1 and A3?
Put that concept on steroids and you've got the potential for "documentation" using Google Glass: A live, near-holographic interactive product instruction system.
Now apply that concept to -everything- you interact with, software and hardware (hardware including everything from railroads to toasters) because I suspect people are going to welcome procedures that can walk them through every device or system they work with. It's going to take some specialized skills to ensure the procedures work, and that they are usable.
> The 90's were a great time, but they're gone.
We could not imagine the potential for the profession in 1990. I think we're in a similar position now.
Rick Lippincott, Technical Writer
American Science and Engineering, Inc. | www.as-e.com
829 Middlesex Turnpike | Billerica, MA 01821 USA | Fax +1-978-262-8702
Office +1-978-262-8807 | rlippincott -at- as-e -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+rlippincott=as-e -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Janoff, Steven
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 9:05 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com; Gene Kim-Eng; Robert Lauriston
Subject: RE: Are Tech Writers Valid anymore Re: ghost town
Great stuff, both.
Yeah, if you take away all the UI stuff we don't need anymore, which is a huge chunk, it's hard to see what will take its place.
It doesn't sound like there's anything on the horizon that offers replacement of that much bulk.
I'm coming up on 30 years in the business and at least two-thirds of that has been UI work.
Yes, API work is a rich specialty.
I could be wrong but it seems like the new innovations (Google Glass and such) just bring the UI closer to our bodies. And as you both suggest, there's very little need left for user help in these kinds of things.
So there's no question the field of what needs to be documented has shrunk.
We'll adapt, but it seems like the niches are much smaller, and more specialized. The 90's were a great time, but they're gone.
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: On Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 3:26 PM
To: Robert Lauriston
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Are Tech Writers Valid anymore Re: ghost town
Mass-market UIs have been moving to embedded help, that is, controls that step the user through everything, for some time. ATM kiosks are a good example. The complex and often still printed document comes into play when someone has to open the case up and fix something.
Gene Kim-Eng
On Mon, Feb 24, 2014 at 2:54 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>wrote:
>
> Though while I think mass-market UIs are evolving away from online
> help, there's still plenty of documentation required for stuff that's
> inherently not easy, such as developer tools and servers.
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Doc-To-Help: new website, content widgets, and an output that works on any screen.
