Happy new job notes
I'm walking through the tech docs internal documentation (no, I still don't have my software), and getting all excited. This is one of the most intentional and philisophical doc groups I have worked with (probably because I have specialized in people who need structure, not people who already have it).
Most writers are used to writing narrative content that's designed to be read sequentially. But as we know from research done over the past 20-plus years, software users do not want to read the documentation. They want to use the software and refer to the documentation (or Help) only when they need assistance.
Which I've been saying for years.
Don't get me wrong -- it is hard to write task-based docs, much harder than writing docs that describe the UI. Descriptive docs are fast and easy and they are a hell of a lot more useful than not having docs, but they are not exactly the pinnacle of user utility. I want to write good doc. I want someone to understand that it takes longer, but does more. It's exciting.
Most writers are used to writing narrative content that's designed to be read sequentially. But as we know from research done over the past 20-plus years, software users do not want to read the documentation. They want to use the software and refer to the documentation (or Help) only when they need assistance.
Which I've been saying for years.
Don't get me wrong -- it is hard to write task-based docs, much harder than writing docs that describe the UI. Descriptive docs are fast and easy and they are a hell of a lot more useful than not having docs, but they are not exactly the pinnacle of user utility. I want to write good doc. I want someone to understand that it takes longer, but does more. It's exciting.