Using a prototype package to obtain customer feedback: how one technical writer became a more integral part of the development team

The paper explains how one technical writer got involved in the design stages of a product. She took control of developing a prototype and using it to obtain feedback from a customer. The results of her prototype package became a necessary tool for the software engineers, technical writers, managers and product marketers since it provided the first view of the user model, menu structure and visual representation of the entire product. Most importantly, her efforts demonstrated the unique skills, beyond communication, that technical writers possess, and through the process, the writers became more accepted as part of the development team