[TCP] certification (was: ranting STC)

[John Posada]

> Thanks, I know what usability is. It's not rocket
> science. The basics are taught in high school, just

Actually, some of it is. I spent two days at our usability lab at our
company HQ. VERY cool stuff. 

> like "meeting deadlines," which isn't a voodoo science
> removed from the norm.
> 
> My definition of a writer is one who demystifies, not
> creates enclaves of hidden knowledge that can be
> explained by a more general principle. I'm also not
> sure I'd want a tech writer for usability in
> application design, at least -- I'd prefer a usability
> specialist.

That may very well be true, but if I'm going to put my money and
reputation on someone who can affect whether my writing project gets
done well or not, I'd like the person to know enough about usability
to speak intelligently with the usability specialist.

I was attempting to aquire my MCSE certification...time got in the
way. However, the reason I wanted it was not to be a systems
engineer, but to be able to talk with them using their language.

I never finished it, but I can speak on their level for the things I
did complete and we create much better documentation much quicker.
> 
> --- John Posada <jposada01 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > In our field, that's not usability.
> > 
> > Usability covers concepts such as Page Layout,
> > Navigation, Links,
> > Text Appearance, Graphic Design, Accessibility,
> > Search, Personas,
> > Task Analysis, Usability Testing.


John Posada
Senior Technical Writer

"I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."