atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
- From: "Geoffrey Marnell" <geoffrey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 11:58:39 +1100
Janice, methinks you are still skirting the issue. You haven't mentioned
comprehension (or understandability) once in your postings. Is this one of
the factors you would consider in choosing a delivery medium? If so, does it
rank higher than user preference?
Yes, we don't much listen to our readers' preferences. There I agree with
you. But some commentators are saying that we should listem to them, and
thus the point of my posting. Assuming that we should listen to our readers,
how persuaded should we by their preferences to adopt their preferred
delivery medium?
Cheers
Geoffrey Marnell
Principal Consultant
Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
T: +61 3 9596 3456
F: +61 3 9596 3625
W: www.abelard.com.au
-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Janice Gelb
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 11:47 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Should we always give users what they ask for?
Geoffrey Marnell wrote:
> Hello Janice,
>
> I agree that one size doesn't fit all scenarios, but that wasn't really my
> claim (or at the heart of the issue). The heart of the issue is this:
should
> the degree of comprehension that a particular medium offers be a
determinant
> in our decision about what media to offer our readers? If the answer is
yes,
> then it would seem to follow that reader prefrences are secondary
> considerations.
>
> We write to communicate. If choosing one medium over another means that
our
> readers will comprehend less of what we have written, then to choose that
> medium is to choose not to communicate with maximum efficiency. We have,
in
> effect, decided to choose a medium knowing that comprehension will be
> compromised. In some cases, that might not be a problem; in others it may
be
> a problem (and a problem with a moral diemnsion and one certain to attract
> litigation).
>
> So let me ask the question again: should we always give our users what
they
> ask for? That was the issue at the heart of my posting.
>
Well, for starters I only wish our users would express
preferences of any sort! :-> More seriously, I think
that we are professionals whose job it is to evaluate
the material and the audience based on the conditions
in which the material will be used, the type of material
it is, and, as a factor but not the sole determining
factor, the learning styles and preferences of the
audience among others.
-- Janice
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Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
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