Recommended Reading

• Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, Second Edition. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.

Provides useful guidelines for all aspects of documentation. Be sure to check the Dialog Boxes and Property Sheets section to make sure you are using the right control names, the Menus and Commands section to describe commands correctly, and the Screen Terminology section to use the right terms for screen items. I find myself referring to these sections often.

• Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary, Third Edition. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1997.

A good source for making sure you are using the right term.

• Nielsen, Jakob. Usability Engineering. Chestnut Hill, MA: AP Professional, 1993.

Chapter 5, "Usability Heuristics," presents the results of research indicating that simpler terminology not only is easier to learn but also results in significantly fewer user errors.