Ed left a comment to yesterday's post which I thought I'd address as a stand-alone issue, rather than in the Comments section.
Ed's question is a good one, and in fact, it's one of the reasons why companies like to hire contract writers. They probably aren't familiar with the specific application that they've been hired to document, so they can experience it as the new user does. The additional benefit is that the contract writer acts as a secondary QA engineer, since often in the process of using the program, new bugs may appear to the writer that the programmers have missed.
Having said all that, I think it's important to remember that even writers who are experts in the application that they're documenting can exercise the skills that they should have as "writers", which is to imagine how the user will experience the application, and write from that user's perspective.
Additionally, it's always good to remind ourselves that the skill to render the complex - simple, is one that requires constant attention and improvement. Like the doctor's oath to do no harm, rendering the complex, simple is our duty and obligation as professionals.
.jpg)
I think that the more technical a product or application is, the more the idea that a lack of technical knowledge is an asset breaks down. When I refer to a technical product, I am describing an application that requires specialized and advanced knowledge in a given field.
Hypothetically, if the item that your TW is hired to document is a well-designed, mass-market (non-enthusiast-market) MP3 player, I agree with you completely. You want a writer who can empathize with the first-time user who brings little to no background to the table.
But, OTOH the more specialized the application, and the more prior knowledge it requires, experience becomes crucial for the TW. I think professionals reach a point in their career where a defined set of knowledge is assumed. And when you are writing for this crowd, whatever the vocation, the writer should have a similar amount of knowledge as the user community.
Do you want your auto mechanic to be reading Transmissions for Dummies as he/she replaces your clutch, or would you rather the mechanic be reading from the transmission repair guide that assumes he/she has a few hundred hours of real-life experience? Same goes for conceptual topics. Do you want your Electromagnetic Dynamics textbook written by another 3rd year physics student, or by a professor?
I think this goes back to, which I can never stress enough, the first thing they teach you in a composition class: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Everything starts there.
Posted by: comma hater | March 10, 2006 8:55 AM | Permalink to Comment