Comments on the The Thomas Sowell Reader, pages 33-34, Instructing the Instructor
How many times have you read through manuals and called 1-800 numbers
for technical ‘help’? The
first time I took an instruction book seriously was with my brand new TI-89
Titanium graphing calculator. Learning
how to operate that machine was harder than learning grade 12 math because
the manual was written so incompetently. There was more emphasis on how great the features were
than on how to use those features. Also, the organization of the whole book, which was bigger
than the New Testament, was in total disarray. In front of the table of contents there was information
regarding radio frequency interference. In order to learn one
function thoroughly, I had to jump from section to section.
The TI 89 can do more calculations than
a college Mathematician, but because of the poorly written guidebook, owners cannot
access its full potential. Bad
manuals like this have become so common that I have to wonder where all the
good writers have gone? A company
as big as Texas Instruments should be able to find at least a few good
technical writers. If they did, maybe
their customers would feel as appreciated as the telephone recordings say they are.
If I come across another manual like this one, I think I'll take the Tim Hawkins approach.
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