One of the main reasons behind users not using the manual, when experiencing problems in product use, is because the manual is perceived to require too much effort to use. A user that encounters a problem and starts to seek for help, has a certain level of motivation. Thus the user is willing to invest a certain amount of energy in finding the answer(s). If the perceived effort of using the manual is higher than what the user is willing to invest, the manual is not used.

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Until a few weeks ago, I was unaware that there was a company employing some 200 technical writers just two kilometres from where I teach technical communication in Melbourne, Australia.  Likewise, a manager at the company was unaware that my university provided post-graduate education in technical communication. We were operating in two parallel universes. The company involved operates in the "engineering technical publications" field, which seems to be quite separate (and isolated) from the "IT and corporate technical communication" field.

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