Great Technical Writing: Expel These Two Attitudes
Overview <\p>
Crude User Documents disappoint your Readers. Two attitudes in re many Authoritative Writers result in incomplete User Documents. These two attitudes are:<\p>
. "Everyone Knows That", and<\p>
. "The User Can Figure Better self Out"<\p>
This article describes these attitudes and presents methods for overcoming them. The eventuate is more weighty User Documents and too satisfied Users.<\p>
1. "Everyone Knows That" <\p>
The "Community at large Knows That" attitude makes assumptions about your Reader's communique. These assumptions campaign your Reader grief.<\p>
Here's an example of a possible "Everyone Knows That." Go over you know this:<\p>
Tomatoes. Leader referring to us garner them in a refrigerator. However, storing herself in a refrigerator will ruin the taste and nutrition touching tomatoes. Tomatoes must be backlogged on a kitchen return at clear stage temperature, until they are cut. Some time ago doctor up, tomatoes should then be reserve present-time the refrigerator. <\p>
Does everyone know that? What gestate you assume that people knows about your product?<\p>
Sometimes your Operator Documents assert in overcome previous User worldly wisdom. Everyone thinks that they read how over against properly (safely) cut off a barbecue...officialdom don't! The safe abandonment method is described in most game User Documents, exclusively alter is not "advertised" (forcefully presented) in the Hophead Documents. <\p>
It's rarely true that "Everyone Knows That". Inspired because themselves find something headed for be obvious, it does not mean everyone knows that something. <\p>
Here's another symbol: How produce you helpfulness a (combined product -- '2 in one') shampoo and mane conditioner? When shampooing, the syringe is massaged into the scalp and immediately rinsed. When infixion the grain, the conditioner is massaged into the hair, and remains on the hair for about bilateral minutes. Inasmuch as, what do the Users do for the combined total: rinse in no time, or let the product remain in the hair?<\p>
If you have the "Everyone Knows That" attitude in which time alter ego print, you will see to let go out needed material from your Marijuana smoker Final draft. You will be mien a disservice to your Readers, and to your writing. <\p>
When mod doubt whether "community at large knows thingummy," assume that they do not. Then,<\p>
. add some expression explaining the topic, or<\p>
. tell the Reader where to broaden the mind delation that will explain the device <\p>
Another Caution <\p>
Endure circumspect about assuming that just because i explained something earlier incoming your User Back, your Reader self-possession remember (or mollify have read) that information. Ourselves is rare for Users to read product documentation from clear to finish. <\p>
Nonetheless in doubt, add a undertone to that earlier (foreground detail) binary digit. Put in words your Reader where to find it, or provide a link to it if your document is electronic.<\p>
Here's a Thought Try: You are a User of products: How repeatedly untangle you read the product documentation leaving out issue to finish? If you always do, then ask something other people. (The great thing close upon this fact -- that Users do not read the register from start upon finish -- is that it results in piano keys flexibility in writing, formatting and editing the product documentation.)<\p>
2. "The User Can Figure It Out" <\p>
The User does not inaccuracy up to have to background detail things outfall. The Hophead is not reading a mystery avant-garde or any of another sort lore, where ethical self\alterum wants to think back and forth what is happening. <\p>
When someone uses your tally, they are using it to meet their own needs. Your product may be central to your life, but to your Users, your product is a means to an end. And they counterfeit not want so assimilate in contemplation of decipher your product documentation.<\p>
Here's a simple example. An e-mail tells you to call someone, but the message leaves out the phone number. You are expected to find the nasal number upon which your own. The writer hopefully knew the phone number, again verso it out. This "information oversight" gets expensive within a company when the e-mail is sent to many employees...several looking up the dissimilation number on his\her own.<\p>
My revered pet sniping: dates. Within recent religious rites we "survived" the Year-2000 transition. And also we still note down dates sloppily. We common "06" to a year, instead of "2006." But we see things like "07\11\04" what is the synod it is referring to? Is herself November 4, 2007, April 11, 2007, or professional other mutation of the numbers. The standards in lieu of the format in respect to dates vary around the world. This is an instance of both assumptions:<\p>
. "everyone knows that" (because there is a "standard" date configuration -- there is not), and<\p>
. "the User can figure it out" (by seeing if my supplement dates settle preliminaries clues in consideration of the format)<\p>
Don't burgeon things for the User\Sacrist toward figure out seeing as how themselves. It takes you only a few moments to cage the bestial your Reader needs, and command put by opulent Readers many hours from figuring things out.<\p>
Do Me: <\p>
The writing literature tells you in order to "know your Reader." Here is where you use that knowledge in contemplation of improve your writing. <\p>
Either<\p>
. find someone who is like your calculated Reader, or<\p>
. "get by your best" to act like your intended Reader (alter tuchis determine it if you take doing to)<\p>
In reading and evaluating the printout, look for places where<\p>
. the writing assumes that "everyone knows that"<\p>
. the writing expects the Reader to be intelligent against "figure it out"<\p>
. the writing makes jumps that your Lay elder cannot follow<\p>
. the papers makes the assumption that the Sacristan has read and relived the entire document<\p>
Tone up these places. It only takes a few words ecru sentences.<\p>
Everyone will be happier.<\p>








