One of my pet bugbears is the language used by technical staff when explaining/training/informing/documenting technology for non-technical staff. There are just too many instances of technical words, phrases etc that non-technical staff just don’t understand. This includes software developers. How many pieces of software (learning or otherwise) do you use that use terms that are obscure or odd? More than you’d care for, I’d bet. Let’s take an example that almost everyone has the opportunity to encounter. Ever tried accessing data on your network? If you’re a Windows user, you would be using the “Map Network Drive” function of WIndows Explorer. Map Network Drive? As a techie, I understand that phrase, but let’s break it down. “Map” – this isn’t really a clear term. Most people will firstly think of an atlas-style map when they read this word. Surely a better term would be something like “Access” or “Connect to”? “Network” – this is a tricky one. Do most people understand what a network is? If you need to use this function, you probably do, but is there a better term to use? “External” possibly, but that might confuse with locally attached devices like memory sticks. “Drive” – what the heck is a drive? As far as I’m concerned this is a term that only techies would use. Apple use the term “server” which is possibly a little better, but still a rather techie term that most people won’t really understand. How about just “data”? This is what the user is trying to access, so surely that’s what it should be named?So instead of “Map Network Drive” (user response: WTF?!?!) the item is named “Connect to external data” (user response: I want to connect to data that isn’t on my computer. This seems like a good choice.). I’m not suggesting that this is the best option, but surely it’s better than the existing term?When anyone in a technical role is creating anything an end user might read, it’s important that they think about what they are trying to describe and try to make sure they use simple, descriptive, non-technical wording that users will understand, whether it’s in the software itself, written documentation or reports or just verbal discussion. The techies who ignore this are frequently the same people that moan about users who don’t understand IT (and are frequently the same people that the end users complain about not being helpful!). All our lives are made simpler by keeping language simple.