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This is an appallingly short-sighted view. Technical accuracy is indeed important, but so are presentation and style. Few engineers would listen to a job applicant who shows up in a bathrobe and slippers, or a litigation attorney who speaks like a valley girl-and yet somehow, these same engineers expect their customers to slog through pages of meandering, poorly phrased text. Even matters as fundamental as spelling, grammar and proofreading are often treated as mere annoyances-piddling details that are worth nothing more than a cursory glance.
(To my relief, I have not encountered any such attitudes at my place of employment. I hasten to say this, lest anyone think that I'm complaining about
people that I work with! No, I've found that we all appreciate
value of excellence, for which I am always thankful. But I digress.)
Mind you, I understand that there are times when a company might not choose to invest an all-out effort in user manual development. This can happen during
early startup stages, for example, when manpower is in short supply and
products are still undergoing refinement. Unfortunately, many small companies never grow past that stage. Even after many years, they continue to thinks of user documentation as a trifling detail which deserves only a modicum of effort. By perpetuating that mindset, they ultimately shortchange both
customers and themselves.
Like it or not, a company's user documentation (or lack thereof) is a reflection on
company itself. You can be sure that your customers will notice if
user manuals are poor or non-existent. In today's busy world, where people need to absorb information as efficiently as possible,
lack of quality documentation can be nothing short of disastrous.

P>Dr. Velasco works as a senior electrical and software engineer for Cellular Technology Ltd, a biotech company that develops ELISPOT assays and ELISPOT analysis tools. Dr. Velasco takes great pride in the company's commitment to user-friendliness and product excellence.