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Subject:Re: What does a tech writer do? (fwd) From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- EXPERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 9 Sep 1997 14:33:44 -0700
>Larry Weber commented,
>Mostly, we decipher and spruce up information generated by programmers
>and marketing people.
To which, Betsy Perry answers:
>I think this varies widely by company. In my 15-year career, I have
>very rarely had written source material from either the engineers or
>the marketing people. Most of the time, the "information" I had was
>the source code and, if I was very lucky, the running product.
My two cents:
It depends! <g> The actual documentation process is highly variable
and depends on the product itself. For a gui, a functioning product,
product prototype, or C++ resource file (where all the dialog boxes
and windows are defined) may be all you get--and that and a little
imagination may be all you need.
But there are lots of products without a gui front-end--programming
languages, for example. Sometimes, notes from the programmers are
all you get. Those, and a *lot* of imagination... <g>
But technical writers in the software industry have lots more to do
than just writing about the product. Good writers, concerned writers,
also take responsibility as user advocate, keeping an eye on product
usability and user interface consistency. After all, the tech writer
may be the only team member that gets to work on the *whole* program--
all the developers are microfocused on their own little section of the
(otherwise) big picture.
Technical writers can also keep an eye on marcom literature, making
sure that the product maintains a consistent message across communication
channels and making sure that advertising literature keeps up with the
ever-changing feature list.
The next logical step for many tech writers is to become involved in
user interface design, creating a communications mix from writing and
programming. Others take an information-design turn, mixing writing
and design/graphics. And then there's the web, where you can mix
writing, info design, and programming...
The _Guide_ is definitive.
Reality is frequently inaccurate. --Douglas Adams
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