Every software project eventually arrives at the same uncomfortable moment: the product is built, the deadline is looming, and someone looks up from their keyboard and says, "Oh - we'll need a manual." What follows is usually a disaster. A programmer's technical notes get processed through a word processor, repackaged with a title page, and handed to users who flip through it once, set it on a shelf, and never touch it again. The software fails not because it doesn't work, but because nobody can figure out how to use it. ...
Read More
Every software project eventually arrives at the same uncomfortable moment: the product is built, the deadline is looming, and someone looks up from their keyboard and says, "Oh - we'll need a manual." What follows is usually a disaster. A programmer's technical notes get processed through a word processor, repackaged with a title page, and handed to users who flip through it once, set it on a shelf, and never touch it again. The software fails not because it doesn't work, but because nobody can figure out how to use it. Software User Documentation is the guide that prevents that outcome. Written by Dr David Tuffley - senior lecturer in sociotechnical studies at Griffith University and a technical writer with decades of experience in both the Australian public service and the private sector - this compact, authoritative manual covers the entire documentation lifecycle from initial planning through to post-publication maintenance. It is grounded in IEEE Standard 1063, the internationally recognised benchmark for software user documentation, and it delivers that standard's wisdom in precisely the kind of clear, accessible prose it advocates. The book opens with a bracing diagnosis: the computer industry has a documentation problem, and users are the ones who pay for it. The gap between a programmer's internal world and the everyday user's experience is not a technical problem - it is a communication problem. Bridging that gap requires a specific discipline, a specific method, and a specific set of skills. This book provides all three. From the earliest chapters on preparation - how to gather source material, construct a documentation project plan, estimate time and resources, and profile your audience - to the nuanced craft of clear writing (active voice, present tense, short words over long ones, no tired clich???s), the guide moves methodically through every stage of the process. Readers learn what makes first drafts work, how to structure a document so that users can find what they need without frustration, and how to handle error messages, appendixes, glossaries, and indexes in ways that serve rather than confuse. There is practical wisdom here that textbooks rarely touch: how to survive writer's block, how to set up an ergonomic workspace, when to print a draft rather than edit on screen. The chapters on editing and proof-reading are meticulous without being pedantic, and the guidance on reviewing and field-testing manuals - who should do it, how to brief them, how to act on their feedback - reflects the hard-won experience of someone who has managed real documentation projects under real deadline pressure. The final sections address online help systems, production and binding, version control, and the often-neglected art of document maintenance after publication. A comprehensive glossary of computer terms and a set of ready-to-use project forms round out the package. What distinguishes this book from the narrow technical writing manuals that crowd the shelf is its insistence that good documentation is, at its heart, an act of translation - from the world of the machine into the world of the person sitting in front of it. Get that translation right, and users succeed. Get it wrong, and even brilliant software becomes shelfware. If you write, commission, review, or manage software documentation - or if you simply want users to actually use what you build - this book belongs on your desk, not your shelf.
Read Less
Add this copy of Software User Documentation a How to Guide for Project to cart. $12.03, new condition, Sold by Books2anywhere rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fairford, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation: A How To Guide for Project to cart. $12.22, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 154 p. Software Engineering Project Management, 2. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation: A How To Guide for Project to cart. $12.24, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation: A How To Guide for Project to cart. $20.24, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation to cart. $21.28, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation: A How To Guide for Project to cart. $18.23, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 154 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Software User Documentation: a How to Guide for Project to cart. $39.29, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
