I think user manuals are Maven traps. How often have we heard that no one actually reads user manuals? Compare that sentiment to this from Gladwell:
In the midst of all the product information [on the back of a bar of Ivory soap], there is a line that says: 'Questions? Comments? Call 1-800-395-9960.' Who on earth could ever have a question about Ivory soap? In fact, who on earth would ever have a question about Ivory soap so important that they felt compelled to call the company right away? The answer ... [is] the soap Mavens, and if you are in the soap business you had better treat those soap Mavens well because they are the ones whom all their friends turn to for advice about soap.The people who read user manuals are the rare software users who want to know everything about how an application works. They read Word's help to find out in complete detail how tables work in Word; then when a colleague calls them over because a table is misbehaving in a Word document, the Word Maven can help. They love to help—at least, according to Gladwell. They love to soak up as much knowledge as possible in an area and then share it with others.
This means a few things for technical writers creating user manuals.
First, and most commonplace, it means that even though most users will never look at the manual, the information in the manual is nonetheless the primary means of dissiminating information about the software to users. It just doesn't happen directly. It happens through the intervention of Mavens, who will read the manual in detail and then pass the relevant info along when a friend or colleague has a question. This isn't a new idea, many others have mentioned something similar before.
Secondly, it means we should reconsider who we're really writing manuals for. Often technical writers bemoan the fact that "no one" reads the manuals, and work to broaden their appeal so that more users turn to them more often. These efforts might include omitting obscure features, making manuals increasingly task-based so users can get out of the manual and back to work more quickly, including more videos or more attractive, brochure-like graphic design. All of which makes the manual less appealing to Mavens. These are people who subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine and write detailed product reviews on Amazon. They want detail. They want to understand. They're our core audience and we should cater to them first and foremost.
Finally, it means we have a new way of justifying the importance of technical writing in an organization. This is the "trap" aspect. In The Tipping Point, Mavens play a crucial role in the spread of social epidemics, including the success of products in the marketplace. One of the challenges organizations are faced with is identifying the Mavens among their customers and getting in touch with those people. Technical writers are doing that every day; we're doing it better than anyone else in the organization. Our user manuals are one of the few things put out by our company that Mavens will gravitate towards and trust. We have a direct line to these people, and the better we treat them, the more likely they will be to recommend our products to their friends. (And as Gladwell points out, when a normal person recommends a product to ten people, maybe 2 or 3 of them listen and try it out. When a Maven does the same, all ten people try it because the Maven is usually right about these things.) That's a powerful reason for a company to invest in technical publications.
