Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors, Third Edition

Chapter 3. Task orientation

Don’t tell me how it works; tell me how to use it.

—An IBM customer

Task orientation is a focus on users’ goals and the tasks that support those goals. You rarely help your users when you tell them only how a product works or how it is structured. Your users have a job to do, so they need practical information that helps them understand and complete their tasks.

If your goal is to put your child’s bicycle together the night before his birthday, you don’t want to learn about how sturdy the tires are or what materials ...