All elements of the user interface communicate information from a computer system to the user. This includes design aspects of the interface such as online help and system error messages. Although technical communicators may be employed on system documentation, often these skills are overlooked in respect of these user interface design aspects. The result is online help and error messages written by programmers that subsequently fail the user because they do not communicate the intended message effectively. Recent Australian research sought to determine if, through the contribution of a technical communicator, the quality of electronic information delivered to users was improved. A series of case studies involving 20 information systems (both when involving a technical communicator and when not), explored the effectiveness of online user information. The paper reports on the results of that research. The involvement of a technical communicator does improve the quality of online user information.
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