Preface

MAKING INFORMATION USABLE is an art rather than a science. Although this art depends heavily on traditional writing skills, successful technical writers know that technology and the marketplace are rapidly changing their profession. Not only are devices, machines, and systems getting more complex and sophisticated, and offering the user more function, but they are also being made available to more people. Manufacturers, therefore, to prevent the rising cost of labor-intensive customer education from wiping out all gains in hardware cost reduction, are relying more and more on do-it-yourself instructional materials packaged and delivered with their products. In fact, the delivery of useful and usable information is now critical to the success of many product offerings.