How To Write Usable User Documentation: Second Edition [Paperback]

Edmond H. Weiss (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0897746392 | ISBN-13: 978-0897746397 | Publication Date: June 26, 1991 | Edition: 2

This popular handbook presents a step-by-step method for clearly explaining a product, system, or procedure. The easy-to-follow text--packed with examples and illustrations--explains the unique demands of this form of writing and shows how to set up the best user model. The book covers developing a modular outline and storyboard, generating the draft, revising, developing a formal usability test, and supporting and updating user documentation. Also included are a glossary of terms, a listing of books and periodicals for additional information, and an index.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“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

About the Author

EDMOND H. WIESS, Ph.D., 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Oryx Press; 2 edition (June 26, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897746392
• ISBN-13: 978-0897746397
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,410,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edmond Weiss was born in Philadelphia in 1942. He is the author of five books and countless articles on technical and professional communication. Now retired from the faculty of Fordham Business, Weiss is president of Edmond Weiss Seminars ([e-mail]) which designs and conducts communication training programs throughout the world.

Dr. Weiss currently resides in Voorhees, NJ.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, July 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Write Usable User Documentation: Second Edition (Paperback)

Excellent book! I used the book for a technical communications course. I initially had reservations about the book but I became a 'convert' after reading it and following the author's approach. The author recommends a modular approach to creating user documents. His book contains specific information on how to analyze the audience, create a storyboard, and present the material, etc

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Planning steps key to good documents, August 21, 2000

By 

Barbara C. Wallace "wordsupply" (Niagara Falls NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How To Write Usable User Documentation: Second Edition (Paperback)

Weiss covers all the basics: not just how to write, but how to plan documentation so that it benefits the user, the technical contributor and the person responsible for getting the documentation to users. The ideas are practical, sensible and well formed. Examples and exhibits (graphics) provide real-life models. The writing is clear, concise and a prime example of the author's premise. The typography and layout do the same. This is just what my boss (an engineer) and I (a tech writer) have been looking for: ways to upgrade our documentation process and our documents. The structure suits us wonderfully and is easier to apply than I thought possible.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory reading, February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Write Usable User Documentation: Second Edition (Paperback)

This book clearly and succinctly lays out the objectives and the methods of technical writing. After 15 years in the business I still haven't seen another book that comes even close to this one.