Subject: [linux-audio-dev] How non-programmers use documentation.
From: Kevin Conder (kconder_AT_interaccess.com)
Date: Sat Aug 25 2001 - 06:46:05 EEST
I've tried to give back to the Linux community by helping
with documentation. I've helped with some FAQs, HOWTOs, and am working on
a large reference manual. Lately I started wondering how non-programmers
actually use documentation so I asked a few.
I'm not trying to write a doctoral thesis so my process wasn't
scientific. My information is based on informal conversations with friends
and co-workers. Here is what I learned about how non-programmers use
documentation:
*INTERNAL AND ON-LINE*
01. Non-programmers insist that context-sensitive, on-line help must be
provided with an application.
02. Non-programmers want screen-shots in the on-line help. They don't care
if it increases an application's file size.
03. Non-programmers utilize on-line help as a quick reference, so indexes
and search functions are important.
04. Non-programmers will go through an on-line tutorial, if one is
provided as part of the application.
05. Non-programmers will look at a "Tips and Tricks" dialog box, if one is
provided.
06. Non-programmers ignore the printed manuals bundled with off-the-shelf
software.
07. Non-programmers would never buy a book about an application. They say
technical books are for programmers.
*SIMPLE*
08. Non-programmers don't want detailed explanations, they want simple
answers.
09. Non-programmers hate too much detail.
10. Non-programmers prefer short, step-by-step instructions.
11. Non-programmers prefer information that answers the question "How do I
do X?" (where X is a common use of the application).
12. Non-programmers don't want to see information about how a feature was
implemented.
*COMPLETE, CORRECT, AND UP-TO-DATE*
13. Non-programmers assume that on-line help will be updated in each new
version of an application.
14. If part of the on-line help is obsolete or missing, non-programmers
will not use any of it.
15. If a non-programmer can't find an answer in the on-line help, they
will either call tech support or use another application.
16. Non-programmers that I talked to have never sent a bug report or a
feature request to a software company. The idea of sending one directly to
a programmer or a technical writer was a completely foreign concept.
=== Kevin Conder, kevin_AT_kevindumpscore.com
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