Motivating end users to read the user manual

[Sharon Burton]

Have you considered sitting with the users and asking them what the issues
are and why they don't like the materials? Don't defend what you've done,
listen to why these materials are not doing what you think they should be
doing. Ask questions, lots of questions.

It could be as easy as they are visual learners and they need flow charts
and other graphics. It could be as complicated as they never see the
training materials because those get locked away somewhere. Perhaps Job Aids
and Quick Starts would help. 

But until you talk to the users and find out what they need that they aren't
getting, you're only guessing. You don't get to decide the docs are
sufficient, tho - your users get to decide that. 


sharon

Sharon Burton
951-369-8590
IM: sharonvburton at yahoo.com
Blog: madcapsoftware.wordpress.com


-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Shmuel Wolfson
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 6:47 AM
To: Garnier Garnier; Framers
Subject: Re: Motivating end users to read the user manual

The fact is that people don't like to read. Exhaustive training material 
is "exhaustive" to read.

If there are specific "do"s and "don't"s that are *not* intuitive, make 
a short 1-3 page list, print it on color paper, and put it in the box 
with the product. That they might read.

-- 
Regards,
Shmuel Wolfson
Technical Writer
052-763-7133

Garnier Garnier wrote:
> Hi listers,
>
> I would like some feedback on this issue which I am sure most of us face.
Please write to me directly as most of the time the mails form forums
bounces and I do not receive them. Not sure about the reason. 
>
> I put in a lot of effort to create an exhaustive training material. It
includes all information in detail and all the steps too are documentented
in simple English. The training material is very technical and includes all
the required details and instructions. Still none of the engineers bother to
read the contents and when they are at the customer site for training they
start complaining that nothing is working. The engineers are familiar with
the product no doubt about it but there are certain "do's" that they ought
to know and which is documented in the training material which none bother
to read. 
>
> I welcome suggestions for improvement in the document or otherwise that
will prompt the end user to read the training material contents instead
simply complaining "nothing is working". 
>
> B/R 
> Garnier
>