How To Write Usable User Documentation, 2nd Edition

(Paperback, 2nd Revised edition)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Using a modular approach, this work aims to make it easy for technical writers to develop, prepare and submit a clear and concise documentation manual. This second edition covers the leaps and bounds in computer technology since the first edition was published in 1985. New chapters include a discussion on emerging technologies, the use of document databases and the use of style checkers. Seven appendices include an excerpt from the user support plan, modular outlines for user manuals, module specifications and two-page modules.

Reviews

A readable, thought-provoking volume. * Library Quarterly *
Weiss leads technical writers and documentors through the process of clearly explaining a product, system or procedure. * Sci-Tech Book News *
There may be guidance that pre-dates Weiss' book, but for me this represents the beginnings of user-friendly documentation. Anyone who has struggled through a manufacturer's manuals.needs to know that there is a better way to serve the customer. . . . Effective documentation must factor in motivation. . . . Wiess shows us how. . . . The other problem with conventional documentation, is its internal organization. Instead of self-contained answers, one is forced to leaf from one partial explanation to the next. . . . Weiss gets directly to the point. His answer is modularization. Each section must be short, focused, self-contained, and conceptually autonomous. It must be able to stand on its own, so that if the reader stops right there (wherever that is), he can resume reading without loss at a later point. YES! * HTML Author *

Author Bio

Edmond H. Weiss, PhD, is associate professor of communications for the Graduate School of Business Administration, Fordham University, New York, and an independent consultant and lecturer on technical writing, management communication, and documentation. A fellow for the Society of Technical Communication, he is the author of 100 Writing Remedies: Practical Exercises for Technical Writing, The Writing System for Engineers and Scientists, and How to Write Usable User Documentation (originally titled How to Write a Usable User Manual). The latter is among the most frequently cited and discussed works on user documentation.