GemX's Classy Reply to Daly's Questions

Posted by dan7000
Jun 28, 2008 at 04:25 PM

Graham Rhind wrote:
>>Now days we do not answer email questions are already answered in
> >>help
>>documentations.
> >Actually, regardless of the rest of the response, this
>would ensure that I don’t touch their software. Annoying though it is that users ask
>questions that might be gleaned from (deep in) the documentation (and I have the same
>issue with my users), it should be normal that each request gets a response, even only
>that the answer is in the documentation in chapter ..... It’s basic customer service
>and developers should do well to consider it as such.
>

I’d go farther than that. I think that well-designed, usable software should not need a help file. If someone needs to look at the help file then they are experiencing a flaw in your design. (I know this is an impossibly high standard - but it’s an ideal that developers should shoot for.)
It sounds like GemX has been hearing the same questions over and over about how to use their software. When that happens, the last thing they should say is “look at the help file.” The fact that lots of people can’t figure out how to use the software should make them say:
“we know this is an issue with the software, and we are redesigning that feature to make it more obvious how to use it. Can you tell us exactly how you thought the feature would work?”