|
The customer asked for it, so we wrote some documentation.
They never read it.
Then they wanted the documentation to be embedded in the software.
So we made some help buttons that went to the specific page in the document.
They never read it.
We did though, they'd call with an issue, I'd fire up the software, click the help button and simply read to them what it said.
It answered their question most of the time 
I even told them where to find it, but it's apparently just easier to call me.
I've seen and wrote so many unread documentation that I've stopped doing it altogether unless there's a specific request.
My software is custom made for my customers, so it's intuitive to them anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
Many years ago ... when a thick handbook followed the software, no matter matter what kind of software, I was working in an office landscape where I could easily hear conversations on neighbor desks. Next to me sat this guy on Fortran support, and one day when his phone rang, I overheard his conversation - his side of it only:
Yes ... Hmm ... Yes ... Say, have you got the Fortran manual handy? ... Could you open it on page 142? ... Could you read out to me the first paragraph on that page? ... ... Oh, that's nothing, that's what support is for! Have a good day!
The fun thing is that this support guy never picked up his own copy of the Fortran manual to check the page number or paragraph text. Yet he was able to make the day for at least one customer.
But then: I am so old that looking for some printed documentation lies in my blood. But then: Sometimes when I find 'documentation', it is so horribly bad that I can't make heads or tails out of it. I have to throw it away and search for hints and tips from other users on the Internet. So I can, sort of, understand those users having given up printed documentation altogether. A lot of it deserves to be thrown away (whether printed on paper, provided as 'help pages' on the Internet, or as builtin help in the application).
|
|
|
|
|
Printed on paper? What's that? 
I think the problem with a lot of documentation now is that I send it to my customers and they simply forget it exists, or where it is.
Some customers have some intricate folder structure that no living soul could ever unearth, others have to search their email for that document you sent them three years ago.
Of course you had that problem with, what did you call it, "printed paper", as well.
But there are usually only so many places for paper to be in an office.
|
|
|
|
|
Happens with other devs too. They ask me about code I wrote 8 months ago, and gloss over the comments that explain it. That's why I don't comment my code anymore.
|
|
|
|
|
The user didn't even check to see if the installation included instructions ... 
And writing user manuals is difficult! And time consuming! And ... you might have well sat on a beach for the month it took then copy'n'pasted Lorem Ipsum with a couple of pretty pictures instead.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec leo justo, sollicitudin ut libero a, mattis vulputate nisi. Nunc sit amet lorem neque. Phasellus placerat accumsan accumsan. Suspendisse posuere, risus et luctus tempor, purus magna eleifend nibh, vehicula gravida metus metus et libero. Nunc a sagittis orci, nec posuere diam. Ut laoreet orci sem, vel vehicula lacus pharetra eleifend. Donec posuere luctus massa, porttitor gravida lacus. Maecenas tempor risus eget nisi maximus ultricies. Vestibulum at volutpat ante. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Nulla et elit lacus. Maecenas tempor auctor risus, eu malesuada ipsum commodo id. Integer id urna ac odio finibus bibendum. Integer dictum tortor a justo posuere auctor. Praesent molestie varius sem, eu porttitor enim. Donec suscipit elementum lacus vitae scelerisque.
Proin id diam sed metus dapibus ultricies non in lorem. Fusce fringilla ultricies velit, sit amet finibus est imperdiet id. Fusce id tincidunt libero. Pellentesque cursus urna ut suscipit lacinia. Phasellus varius volutpat nisl, et pellentesque arcu commodo vitae. Ut accumsan tempus convallis. Praesent laoreet ex eu lacus tempus pharetra. Nulla tempus arcu in leo dictum sodales.
Donec vel nibh ut augue tempus porttitor. Cras vehicula dui id nisi dignissim egestas. Vivamus vel dui lacus. Aliquam eget nulla et neque auctor aliquam in sed sapien. Aliquam mollis maximus nisl nec sagittis. Nunc volutpat ultrices enim ultrices ultrices. Ut a mauris sem.
Sed nec fermentum dui. Vestibulum ut consectetur leo, ut fringilla orci. Proin vitae ex quis ante ultrices tincidunt. Aliquam commodo porta eleifend. Morbi congue ultricies faucibus. Proin id sapien mauris. Vestibulum a metus laoreet, dignissim urna quis, aliquam odio. Praesent risus purus, venenatis quis dolor euismod, suscipit venenatis ante. Integer sit amet imperdiet eros, at aliquam risus. Etiam sed aliquam sapien, vitae ultricies justo. Nullam in ex volutpat, semper enim tincidunt, eleifend odio. Aenean in auctor nunc. Duis hendrerit urna et turpis ultrices maximus. Maecenas viverra neque dignissim ligula volutpat gravida. Nulla id dolor quis libero fringilla ultrices eget eu lectus.
Suspendisse potenti. Sed eu tristique arcu. Pellentesque sodales sem vel aliquet molestie. Nam ut vestibulum erat, eget elementum dolor. Praesent consequat lorem in magna tincidunt, in elementum lacus tristique. Vivamus feugiat, eros vitae tempus congue, odio tellus placerat elit, ac commodo neque turpis eu nulla. Integer id lacus venenatis nunc mollis bibendum. In mauris neque, varius quis placerat sed, sodales in ligula. Nam orci magna, aliquet eget leo vitae, varius dignissim magna. Mauris nec mi at felis dictum laoreet at in neque.
I'm so tempted to use that as part of my next QA reply to see if anyone actually reads those ... or this ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
tldr; was that something about the customer being important? 
|
|
|
|
|
To be fair, I almost didn't read your post at all after seeing how long it was.
|
|
|
|
|
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
"Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
