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Subject:Printed vs. Online: What mix? From:John Bell <jbell -at- LCCINC -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 27 Sep 1995 12:36:26 -0400
I think you're asking the wrong crowd. The right people to ask
is your clients. The blend of online vs. printed will vary depending
upon the type of users you have and what they are looking for.
In the case of our manuals we create the online files first and then
create a printed manual that contains the same information. They both
contain the same information in the same depth. Our users are RF engineers.
When they want an answer they want it NOW. So, online meets that need.
They also want to be able to read the manual while on business travel,
etc. so printed manuals are a must.
We give the clients one manual per client site, regardless of how many
engineers at that site use our product. If they want extra manuals, they
can buy them at $250.00 per set. (A set is 3 binders of User Guide plus
a small bound Field Definition booklet.) This policy meets their needs
without putting a strain on their resources or ours.
Should all products from one company have the same online/printed mix?
Yes if they are all aimed at the same clients. If you have a consumer
product and an industrial product, the client needs are very different.
