The Technical Communicator as Evangelist: Toward Critical and Rhetorical Literacies of Software Documentation

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer H. Maher
Keyword(s):  
Software Documentation ◽  
Technical Communicator

Microcomputer Users' Preferences for Software Documentation: An Analysis

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Penrose ◽  
Lawrence M. Seiford
Keyword(s):  
Business Professionals ◽  
Software Documentation ◽  
Microcomputer Software

Fundamental requirements for good user documentation have not changed over the years. Manuals must be complete, accurate, clear, readable, and available on time. What has changed are tolerances and standards. Today's users—typically business professionals but even expert technicians and engineers—will no longer accept unreadable and inaccessible publications. The days of documentation with poor organization, limited graphic support, and poor aesthetics have passed. This article analyzes users' opinions and preferences for microcomputer software documentation. The results provide valuable guidance for software authors, designers, and publishers.

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