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Three relatively cheap and easy (not merely quick 'n' dirty) ways
I found to increase customer contact and get insight into the
effectiveness of my docs:
1. Sit in on training classes, if your company - or anyone -
offers courses in the thing you're documenting (internal
procedures, software, electronics, grapple grommets, etc.)
These will probably be new users, not experienced ones.
You might not get the viewpoint of the sophisticated user
this way, but you sure get to see what people's initial
stumbling blocks are. Armed with this insight, well, an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
2. Collect names of the document users, and send some of them
a Reader (or User) questionnaire, personally addressed.
3. Call/write and offer them something in return for taking the
time to talk to you. The "something" is a small, customized
document. A signed original. This works when your
documentation is somewhat generic, rather than already
customized for the site. Every site has unique needs,
problems, and procedures. After talking to them about
how your docs work (or don't work) for them, whip up
something unique for them.
One method that's not so easy, but lots of fun if you're feeling
devilish >:-> (devilish smilie)
is to get the salespeople to take you on site visits with them.
This isn't practical in a lot of cases, though. Sending an R&D
tech writer out with a salesperson can be like mixing matter and
antimatter. Reality and illusion don't always get along, and
salespeople tend to tremble at the thought of you raising a single
eyebrow in surprise/disbelief/skepticism at just the wrong moment.
Cheers,
| "No one can tell what lies just around |
Ken d'Albenas | the corner; and the purpose of politics |
(-:: | is to conceal that fact." |
kendal -at- autotrol -dot- cuc -dot- ab -dot- ca | - "Booster McCrane, PM" |
