OVERVIEW
To create an effective User Document, the writer must know who he/she is writing for. This article presents four dimensions (Skills, Attitude, Knowledge and Experience) for describing the User of your product (your Documentation Reader), and how to build a Persona that turns your generic User into an almost-real person. The article stresses the need to actually USE this information when structuring and writing your User Document.
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR USER
The marketing department or product development team should be able to tell you who the intended User of the product is. (If they cannot, then the product is in big trouble.) Ask them to provide you with a complete description of the User. Ask them if their description can be make less strict (requiring fewer skills, ect.) and thus be applicable for a wider audience. Ask them how sure they are of their intended Users.
Ask them if they created a “Persona” (see below) to design the product. If so, ask them for the description of that Persona.
We will use this information to analyze your User in four dimensions. We will then re-build the ideal User into an...