Customer Reviews

How To Write Usable User Documentation: Second Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.

This book is all about applying engineering principles to document production. Basically, you start with questions like: "Who is this documentation for?" and "What is the document's purpose?". You then plan your document as a series of modules. By creating a title, abstract and outline for each module, you have a basis to discuss, test, plan and assign sections of the document. I've seen a few technical books follow the layout guidelines presented in this book, and the results are usable and readable. The procedures will take your team some getting used to -- but the results are worth it. My documentation projects that were overwhelming became manageable.

Not a lot of waste involved with this book. The reviews here are right on. This book shows how to do tech writing by example. It also gives reliable guidelines for doumentation planning. If you are a starting tech writer reading this book is what you need to do solid instructions writing. it does not really cover documentation technologies, but after reading this book you should be able to choose technologies that enable the type of doc writing and concepts in this book.

This is a good manual on software documentation and could be used as a beginning book for the job. However, I do believe that there are better books available on the subject. It is an excellnt starter book for individuals who are new to software documentation. Finally, the book is easy to read and follow.

This book was written in 1991, so some of the comments in it are a bit dated, but most of the advice still applies. Weiss describes a structured process for writing modular documentation that is easy to read, helps users quickly find what they want, and minimizes the amount of skipping back and forth a reader needs to do. Best of all, the book itself is a full-blown example of the "modular documentation" advocated by the author -- each module is on a two-page spread containing a brief heading/summary and any figures or tables needed.

This bok provides allot of examples and leads by that making it easy to understand and follow.