RE: Structuring Tech Pubs

["Hutchings, Christa" <cwhutchings@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Debbi Leipold wrote:

>A lone TW usually works well in engineering as the voice of the
user.  

I've found that lone writers in engineering are often overruled regarding
product design decisions. They just simply get outvoted by engineers who
want to design something that's easy to - well, design, rather than
something that is easy to use.

A good solution is a strong Product Management group that dictates the
product design to Engineering. Product Management people tend to be
technical, but also usually have a strong alliance to Marketing. They
understand what the market wants and also generally understand the need for
user-centered design. Putting Tech Pubs under the Product Management
umbrella sometimes makes sense, as long as the PM group has enough clout to
hold its own with both Engineering and MarComm.

As a lone writer, I've found it far easier to accomplish a user-centered
design change by going through the Director of Product Management, than by
going through the VP-Engineering. It gives the VP-Engineering an out - he
can go back to his people and tell them that they have to change things
because Product Management wants it (not because the TW wants it).

**********************************
Chris Welch-Hutchings
Senior Technical Writer
Home Wireless Networks, Inc.
mailto:cwhutchings@homewireless.com
http://homewireless.com



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