Identify user needs for improved user documentation

[jwflory]

Better user documentation is important for people who will use MagicBox; to write effective user documentation, create a list of primary users of MagicBox and identify and prioritize new documentation

How to do it

1. Identify / create list of primary users of MagicBox
   • Who uses MagicBox… who cares, who wants to use it?
   • Country offices? State governments? Other UN agencies? External stakeholders?
2. Put yourself in their shoes and write list of things a type of user will want to know
   • What do they need to know? What do they want to know?
3. Write new documentation for users of MagicBox that explains how to use and understand output

Why do it

Users are important to MagicBox. Our users shape the development direction of the project and what data or analysis is needed most urgently. Creating better user documentation not only helps end users of MagicBox, but it also lowers the "minimum activation energy" for a new contributor in an open source community. If developers understand the users and their needs, there is less wasted time during the development cycle and better focus on meeting user needs.