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Re: Must documentation always follow the UI?

Subject: Re: Must documentation always follow the UI?
From: Mike Starr <mike -at- writestarr -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2015 14:30:02 -0500

I would use the same sequence as the UI but I would also find out from the development team why they sequenced the UI the way they did. Sometimes there's a good (but not readily apparent) reason for an unusual sequence.

I once worked on a software product that had a drop-down lost box with about 50 elements in random order. I badgered the lead programmer until it got re-sequenced into alphabetic order... easier for the user and easier for the technical writer.

Best Regards,

Mike
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Mike Starr WriteStarr Information Services
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On 2015-09-23 2:18 pm, Cardimon, Craig wrote:

Hello, Whirlers,

How important is it that documentation exactly follow the interface?

Hypothetical question: On the landing page of an application,
functions are laid out in non-alphabetical order. There doesn't *seem*
to be a functional reason for laying it out the way it is. Maybe they
were developed in this order. Let's say it looks a bit random.
Something like this:


* Crotons

* Abercrombie

* Donuts

* Fish

* Ectoplasm

* Birds

* Guppies

I was thinking that if I were writing the documentation, that I might
lay out the docs in alphabetical order, to be more pleasing to the
eye. Something like this:


* Abercrombie

* Birds

* Crotons

* Donuts

* Ectoplasm

* Fish

* Guppies

What would you all handle this situation?

Cordially,
Craig Cardimon | Senior Technical Writer
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References:
Must documentation always follow the UI?: From: Cardimon, Craig

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