Great Technical Writing: The User-Product Life Cycle - A Documentation Tool

Great Technical Writing: The User-Product Life Cycle - A Documentation Tool
Great Technical Writing: The User-Product Life Cycle - A Documentation Tool
The User-Product Life Cycle (U-PLC) is a powerful tool for the User Document writer. Use the U-PLC to generate the high-level topics for your User Document.

THE USER-PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE (U-PLC)

Usually, when we think of a Product Life Cycle, we think in terms of the development and production of the Product itself. When writing User Documentation, consider the U-PLC to help you generate all the topics necessary for a complete document. User Documentation should support your Users in all of their interactions with the product.

The User-Product Life Cycle refers to the full range of interactions between the User and the Product itself. This is more than simply “how to use the product.” As you will see below, “Use the Product” is only one stage in the U-PLC.


Great Technical Writing: The User-Product Life Cycle - A Documentation Tool


Computer Research Paper

Computer Research Paper
Computer Research Paper
Computer research paper can be written by every student for everyone. Today, the computer has become a household gadget for everyone. Therefore, every person should be interested in your paper. But the line of attack you take will vary because your readers will not be the same class of persons. There will be experts in the field as well as beginners. It is true that everybody may have a computer but not every computer user may have all the basic knowledge about computers. Therefore, your paper will have a mixed audience and you should endeavor to satisfy every reader. This type of college research paper will warrant the reader to have great technical skills and experience in using and writing about computers. Get more useful information about school research paper and cloning research paper writing tips.


Computer Research Paper


Essay on Computer

Let us discuss how you can write a good computer essay today.Before we give you some possible topics, let us review first how to write a good quality article. Let us start with the topic. When choosing a topic for your essay, it is necessary that you consider something that is important and significant, interesting and appeals to the readers, has many resource materials for research and you are familiar with it.


Essay on Computer


Spyware – Legislation?

We have all had to become more aware about what companies are doing to invade our privacy these days. Identity theft, frauds, and scams are happening every day and the perpetrators of these are getting more and more sophisticated. There are even some major corporations involved in some of this as if ethics rules for businesses don’t apply to what they might do online. People tend to think that if a company is big and well known, they must be reputable. They go so far as to...


Spyware – Legislation?


Dissertation on Computer Science

Dissertation on Computer ScienceUndoubtedly, each of us has a computer or a notebook at home. It is surprising how important this appliance is for us today: computer helps us in our studies, in our work, in our leisure time. Unfortunately, working on computer every day does not mean being able to write a Computer science dissertation.
However, you are pretty lucky to find this article and learn more about writing a Computer science dissertation.


Dissertation on Computer Science


Wheelchair Lifts

There are many types of wheelchair lifts available. Knowing the function of each will help determine that type that will best meet the needs of the user.


Wheelchair Lifts


Research Paper on Linux vs Windows

Research Paper on Linux vs WindowsLinux is a free operating system which was created by an college student for a project for school. He combined a collection of free software and shareware that he downloaded from the Internet, to make an operating system. Linux is unique in that it is not copy righted but is copy left. This simply means that anyone can download Linux and is source code for free....


Research Paper on Linux vs Windows


Great Technical Writing: Make Your Product Fit

Great Technical Writing: Make Your Product Fit
Great Technical Writing: Make Your Product Fit
OVERVIEW

Most product documentation sounds like their product is the only thing in the User’s life. Such thinking results in User confusion and dissatisfaction. This article presents three real-life examples of this attitude, and what should be done to remedy these unfortunate situations. The article concludes with some techniques for the writer.

BACKGROUND

There are two important facts that User Documentation ignores:

1. Your product is a only minor item in your User’s life

2. Your User Documentation must help fit your product into the User’s life


Great Technical Writing: Make Your Product Fit


New Technical Writer: The Four Dimensions Of Your User/reader

New Technical Writer: The Four Dimensions Of Your User/reader
New Technical Writer: The Four Dimensions Of Your User/reader
OVERVIEW

To create an effective User Document, the writer must know who he/she is writing for. This article presents four dimensions (Skills, Attitude, Knowledge and Experience) for describing the User of your product (your Documentation Reader), and how to build a Persona that turns your generic User into an almost-real person. The article stresses the need to actually USE this information when structuring and writing your User Document.

GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR USER

The marketing department or product development team should be able to tell you who the intended User of the product is. (If they cannot, then the product is in big trouble.) Ask them to provide you with a complete description of the User. Ask them if their description can be make less strict (requiring fewer skills, ect.) and thus be applicable for a wider audience. Ask them how sure they are of their intended Users.


New Technical Writer: The Four Dimensions Of Your User/reader


New Technical Writer: Use The Persona To Create The Most Useful Section Of Your User Document

New Technical Writer: Use The Persona To Create The Most Useful Section Of Your User Document
New Technical Writer: Use The Persona To Create The Most Useful Section Of Your User Document
OVERVIEW

A good User Document includes sections on how to set up, use, and care for the product. However, to create a great User Document , the technical writer should use the Persona, generated in the analysis of the User/Reader, to create the topics for the most useful section of the User Document. This article describes this procedure.

THE MOST USEFUL SECTION OF A USER DOCUMENT

The most useful section of a User Document is the one that helps the User get what he/she wants/needs done right now!

Writing such a section might seem to be an impossibility. How do you know what the User needs to do now?

The only thing that you, as a writer, can do is to play the odds. That is, determine the topics that have the highest probability of being of interest to your User. And “of interest” means “getting what the User wants done, right now.”


New Technical Writer: Use The Persona To Create The Most Useful Section Of Your User Document


New Technical Writer: Don’t Confuse Your Reader With Your Words

New Technical Writer: Don’t Confuse Your Reader With Your Words
New Technical Writer: Don’t Confuse Your Reader With Your Words
OVERVIEW

Stop confusing your Reader with the words you use. Your Reader is trying his/her best to understand how your product works without having to figure out your writing. Here are some writing guidelines to help you stop baffling your Reader.

SAME CONCEPT: SAME WORDS

User Documents are not meant to be entertaining. Do not try to be creative, especially by using synonyms for specific concepts in your product. When you talk about a topic use the exact same wording to describe (or name) the topic everywhere in your User Document.

For example, the “Same Concept: Same Words” guideline, says that if there is a control on your product called the “Activation Button,” then everywhere you talk about that button use the term “Activation Button.”


New Technical Writer: Don’t Confuse Your Reader With Your Words


Articles And SEO

Articles And SEO
Articles And SEO
The terminology buzz these days seems to be filled with quite a lot of stuff that keep up with the pace of development over the internet. Articles and SEO are the latest in the line to be talked about in the same breath as that of search engines and the like. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is the mantra in web design. Articles and SEO rank top priority in that order when designing a webpage. The website ranking in search engine results is manipulated using different keyword strategies leading to a placement in the top 50 every time and thus ensuring a high volume of traffic to the website that shows up in the form of revenue for them.


Articles And SEO


Experience Is Important In Computer Aided Drafting

From the massive skyscrapers in New York City and the tallest building in the United Emirates to the millions of cars driven on the road everyday and the electronics that consume everyone's life, computer aided drafting plays a part in shaping each of these entities. Also known as computer aided design, this form of drafting plays a vital role in every aspect of the design and manufacturing process. Without this career field, the world would not be as advanced as it is today ...


Experience Is Important In Computer Aided Drafting


Handheld globally

Handheld globally
Handheld globally
Encrypted hard drive products are not new but encrypted data carrying devices are yet not very common. Lately, Bull Information Systems has unveiled a portable device designed globally to carry data, and even a self-contained work environment, while on the move. Bull’s 60GB digital vault with built-in AES encryption will be available from next month. Globally will be on display at the Info Security Europe 2009 exhibition in London from April 28 to 30, 2009. Globally is about the size of a PDA and features a small touch-screen display for user authentication. It contains a 60GB hard drive protected by a built-in security chip developed by Bull, which provides 256-bit AES encryption. Globally enables users to access files by connecting it to the USB port of any Windows or Linux computer.


Handheld globally


How Poor In-house User Documents Cost You Twice & What To Do About It

How Poor In-house User Documents Cost You Twice & What To Do About It
How Poor In-house User Documents Cost You Twice & What To Do About It
OVERVIEW

Many organizations produce in-house tools or modify commercially-available tools for their own use. These tools should get documented so they are of use to others in the organization.

If this documentation is not created or is poorly written, it costs you twice:

* The first cost (attributed to any poor user document) is the cost of answering the Users’ questions (technical support).

* The second cost, arises from the lost time of your employees trying to understand the poor User Document.

Psychological costs also affect both the external and the in-house User.


How Poor In-house User Documents Cost You Twice & What To Do About It