OT: Writing/editing style

[Peter Gold]

Hi, Tammy:

Have you tried posting to TECHWR-L also?

My opinion is that good writing won't substitute for a poor design.

One approach might be to mention that the tab selection is "sticky" - 
that is, the last-used tab appears when opening from the tray icon.

Many good applications provide users with action options, by right 
clicking on their tray icon.  Here's where the user could choose the 
desired tab. User testing should reveal what customers need.

Customers feel the same way - why use an application that makes you feel 
like you're falling on your sword, if you can choose to use one that's 
more pleasant and efficient to use?

Regards,

Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices

Tammy.VanBoening at jeppesen.com wrote:
> Again, since there are so many veteran writers on this and who have 
> learned through the years to maneuver their way through the editing 
> process:
>
> I am writing to a major application, that when launched, results in three 
> other applications being launched and running continuously in the 
> background. Icons for these three applications are present in the user's 
> System Tray.   If a user double-clicks on one of these icons, the main 
> window for the background application opens. The first time that a user 
> opens the main window for one of these background applications, they open 
> to a default tab. Then, let's say the user opens another tab on the main 
> window, completes the actions that he/she needs to on the tab, then 
> minimizes the main window, (remember, these applications cannot be closed 
> while the main application is running. The user must always just minimize 
> the main window for the background application), then re-opens the main 
> window. Well, the last tab that user had open is now the tab that the user 
> sees. This may or may not be the tab that the user needs, so in my 
> instructions for procedures that are written for after the first time the 
> user opens the window, I have this:
>   
...
> Believe me, there are some things worth falling on your sword for and 
> others, not so much or not all, and I have let the not so much/not all go, 
> but his statement that "the user will eventually figure it out" really 
> irked me as it seems to be so very against the basic purpose of a User's 
> Guide