Technical writers´ image of their audience: word processing and microwave oven manuals as an example

The results from a technical manual text analysis are presented and discussed. The manuals are for word-processing and microwave ovens. Three aspects are compared: (1) survey map or route map; (2) methods of making users think in different ways; and (3) ways of addressing the users. The focus of the analysis is on how the writers´ image of their audience is reflected in the manuals. The results are discussed in terms of stage of technology introduction, market situation, and genre. Generally speaking, the word-processing users are regarded as more used to their technology than the microwave oven users.<>