Examining documentation and help systems since 2002
Contents
Special Reports
Subscription Feed
Gordon R. Meyer
Copyright 2002-2012
Favorite Sites
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
The death of techno literacy
Adam Engst, writing Have We Entered a Post-Literate Technological Age? for TidBITS magazine suggests that knowing about computers and technology is going the way of knowing how to change the oil in your car. That is, knowing (or caring) how computers work is no longer required in order to actually use them.
It also used to be that technical writers knew how computers worked, as well as how to use them, but increasingly it seems that having "under the hood" knowledge or interest is rare in the profession.
The resulting documentation, written by laymen for laymen, creates a feedback loop that inevitably results in increased technical support costs. A situation that, ironically, documentation is supposed to help prevent.
Posted: September 2, 2009 link to this item, respond to this item