Re: Thesis Topic

[Mark Baker <mbaker -at- OMNIMARK -dot- COM>]

Elna Tymes wrote:


>This field is in real need for a numbers-based study showing how people
>use what we create when they're trying to learn how to use a tool.  By
>"numbers-based," I'm talking about a statistically defensible study,
>something that can be published in an academic journal and then used as
>a reference by the rest of us when dealing with engineering and
>marketing people who question the value of documentation.

I think this topic is only an intermediary subject that may or may not help
writers but will not in itself get at the business justification for
documentation. The business justification for most documentation is this: it
reduces the cost of ownership of the associated product.

Cost of ownership is not just what you pay for the product but what you pay
after you buy it as part of owning it. The cost of ownership of a car, for
instance, includes gas, insurance, repairs, etc. For many products, low cost
of ownership is a significant selling point so if you can demonstrate that
documentation reduces cost of ownership, marketing should listen to you.

Documentation can reduce the cost of ownership of a product by reducing time
to productivity for the new users, making time saving features apparent to
the user, and reducing maintenance time.

The cost of ownership impact of documentation is probably easier to quantify
and certainly easier to sell. It would make a worthwhile study.
---
Mark Baker
Manager, Corporate Communications
OmniMark Technologies Corporation
1400 Blair Place
Gloucester, Ontario
Canada, K1J 9B8
Phone: 613-745-4242
Fax: 613-745-5560
Email mbaker -at- omnimark -dot- com