Dismantling the mystique: The changing role of documentation

ABSTRACT

The value of a product, whether a simple garden tool or a multimillion dollar computer, depends on how well it fulfills the function for which it was designed. If a product is difficult to use, it is unlikely its full capability will be utilized.

One of the primary influences on the role of documentation today is the increasing emphasis on “ease of use”. Although the products of a high technology company are complex, the accompanying documentation does not necessarily have to mirror that complexity. Documentation must be designed and developed so that it aids the user in maximizing the usefulness of the tool that it describes.

Within the computer industry, it appears that documentation rarely receives any attention until the design and development cycle nears completion. It is usually produced by programmers and developers with little understanding of how good documentation is developed. This process has resulted in a widespread fear and misunderstanding surrounding computer software and hardware; a mystique that computers are difficult to use or understand. However, if the flow of information during the product development cycle is restructured, a significant improvement in documentation and users' attitudes could take place.

This paper discusses in general the factors influencing documentation today, how documentation has been done in the past and the problems that resulted from that process, some techniques to restructure the development cycle to eliminate these problems, and the benefits both internal and external of these new techniques.

References

1. 1.R. C. Cowen, "Cottage Computing: Glorifying the Trivial", Technology Review, November/December, 1981.
2. 2.ibid.
3. 3."Moving Away From Mainframes", Business Week, February 15, 1982.
4. 4.Computer World OA, Comment Page, March, 1982.
5. 5.Thomas P. Murphy, "Look For The Kid With The Screwdriver", Forbes, February 15, 1982.
6. 6.F. J. Bethke, W. M. Dean, P. H. Kaiser, E. Ort, and F. H. Pessin, "Improving the Usability of Programming Publications", IBM Systems Journal, Vol. 20, Number 3, pgs, 306-320, 1981.

Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Document management and text processing

    • Document management

• Human-centered computing

  • Accessibility

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • Empirical studies in HCI