atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?

  • From: "Michelle Hallett" <michelle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:59:28 +1100

Interesting question, my thought:

 

Do we provide information in the most comprehensible format or the format
which will actually be consulted and read? Which is more likely to prevent
death or injury, comprehensive instruction materials no one reads, or less
easily comprehended materials that people are reading?

 

Best regards

Michelle

 

 

  _____  

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Geoffrey Marnell
Sent: Monday, 9 March 2009 9:51 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Should we always give users what they ask for?

 

Hello austechies,

 

The digital age has changed the way we gather information. Where once we had
only printed texts, we now have printed texts and a vast range of digital
media. There is some evidence to suggest that some readers (especially
younger readers) now prefer to source information from digital media and
that some are shunning printed texts altogether. Some commentators suggest
that this requires a radical rethink about how technical writers deliver
information. There is good reason to think that the younger generation will
carry their preferences with them as they become the middle generation and
then the old generation; thus all readers will eventually prefer digital
media. Best to get ready, then, and start leaving behind old technologies,
such as printed texts.

 

But hang on a minute. Should user preferences be the sole determiner of the
media we choose for delivering technical documentation?

 

Consider this case:

 

*       We are writing instructional materials to accompany a product whose
misuse might lead to death or injury (say, a lathe, the control system of a
nuclear-power plant, a dialysis machine, or the like).
*       We have an option to deliver the material in printed form or in
digital form (via a visual display unit attached to, or near, the product).
*       We discover that the majority (even all) our intended audience
prefers to gather information online rather than from printed texts.
*       We know from research that the comprehension of online material is
poorer than that of printed material. That is, our understanding of material
read online is poorer than of the same material read offline, as judged by
our ability to correctly answer questions about it. (Cognitive psychologist
and web usability expert Jakob Neilsen reports that comprehension can be up
to 25% lower; other studies suggest as much as 60% lower: see "Effects of
online reading" by M. Macedo-Rouet et al., Science Communication, vol. 25.
no. 2, Dec. 2003, pp. 99-128. Also see "Online v. print reading: which one
makes us smarter?", Scientific American, December 2008).

 

In these circumstances, would we accept our audience's preference for online
delivery knowing that comprehension of material read online can be as low as
60% of the comprehension of the same material read in printed form? Is there
not, in such cases, a moral dimension to the choice of delivery media? In
cases where death or injury might result from misuse, are we not morally
obliged to produce documentation in whatever medium minimises the risk of
misunderstanding, regardless of user preferences?

 

Even in cases where misunderstanding is unlikely to lead to death or injury,
there may be good reasons to override user preferences. Suppose, for
example, that you manage a call centre. You have to decide whether the
printed knowledgebase that your support staff now relies on should be
converted to online and then decommissioned. You poll the staff and they all
say that they prefer online reading. But if comprehension of online
instructions is markedly less than of printed materials, the risk of
customers getting poor advice from support staff is higher if support staff
have only online references to rely on. Hence online delivery would
potentially lead to greater customer dissatisfaction, and possibly even more
support calls (as disgruntled callers call back for further assistance).
Online might be cheaper, easier to maintain and preferred by your staff -
and yet possibly a poor business decision in the long run.

 

By all means let's explore new ways to deliver instructional material. But
we need to temper our enthusiasm for new media with the realisation that not
all media is be equally effective in transmitting understanding. Readers'
preferences for particular media are important and need to be considered.
But there are cases where considerations of effectiveness, and perhaps
ethics, are of equal, if not greater, importance.

 

Some questions for young readers (and others who prefer to read online)

1.      Suppose you are studying for an exam. If you are like most students,
you will want to get as high a mark as possible. Suppose you need to master
the contents of a particular textbook to do well in the exam, and suppose
further that the textbook is available for loan from the library and
available online. Like all young readers, you prefer digital to paper media
(or so we are told). But you happen to discover that comprehension of online
material is poorer than that of printed material (up to 60% poorer in fact).
Will you now study the textbook online or borrow it from the library?

 

2.      Suppose, now, that you have got your degree and have started your
first job. You want to get on quickly in the company, be seen as bright and
enthusiastic, and not goof up. Your job requires you to consult lots of
policies, procedures and work instructions. If you misunderstand these
policies, procedures and work instructions, you may goof up. The policies,
procedures and work instructions are available online and in print. You know
that comprehension of online material is poorer than that of printed
material. Will you opt to read the policies, procedures and work
instructions online?

 

 

Let the arguments begin.

 

 

Geoffrey Marnell

Principal Consultant

Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd

T: +61 3 9596 3456

F: +61 3 9596 3625

W:  <http://www.abelard.com.au> www.abelard.com.au

 

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