April 18, 2017 at 07:43PM

Reddit scan:There's a lot of good information in the FAQ. But it seems like there's TOO much good information sometimes. I think we need to discuss how to better organize the FAQ so that it can see some better use.So I've thought up some "User Stories", a design pattern used by Magic the Gathering Designers to think about who they're making the game for.What I have here are some proposed "Proto-people". I'd like it if the rest of the redditors here would contribute their user-stories and critique mine.Bob the BeginnerSally the ScholarTim the TinkererPaula the ProgrammerI'll describe what works for each of these people in the FAQ, what doesn't work for them. All the information in the FAQ is good of course, but its just good for different people. And that's what makes writing it so difficult...Bob the BeginnerBob knows absolutely nothing about electronics... but at least knows he is starting from scratch. As such, Bob the Beginner will read the FAQ, but is seeking the ability to "Get Started" with electronics as quickly and as easily as possible. Bob will be satisfied with simple projects, like turning on an LED, turning on Fans and the like.Bob the Beginner loves fundamental subjects like Component Basics but becomes confused and intimidated with advanced material like the Pull Up / Pull Down resistor material.Sally the ScholarSally is an advanced student at a University. However, her actual experience with Electronics is limited to college labs and other strictly controlled experiments. As such, she comes to AskElectronics to learn more about the practical aspects of Electronics.With her years of schooling, her eyes glaze over at the "beginner stuff" like component basics. She knows about Pull Up resistors but appreciates the reminder. Sally is very impressed with lists like Where to shop for Electronics, and a rundown on some common knowledge (ie: like Boost Converter modules cost only $5) would be greatly beneficial to her.Tim the TinkererTim hasn't gone to college (or if he did, he went into a tangential subject like Law or Psychology). But since an early age, Tim has used his hands to build things: be it Legos or maybe Woodworking. Tim has managed to build out Electronics projects through online tutorials and maybe a few limited "Makerspace Meetups".I would argue that Tim the Tinkerer really likes the FAQ exactly as it is. Tim's problems are incredibly specific and change on a day-to-day basis (maybe today Tim is interested in the Pulldown Resistors problem, but tomorrow Tim will be interested in a different common problem).Tim knows theory is his weakpoint, but isn't necessarily motivated to learn the nitty-gritty about theory. He appreciates booklists and the fact that the theory stuff has write-ups that he can read "when he gets the time", but otherwise uses the FAQ primarily as "Ctrl-F Find" to look for his specific problem of today.Paula the ProgrammerPaula is an expert programmer with vast knowledge about Databases, Web Architectures, C Programming and so forth. Paula knows that electronics make up computers, but nothing beyond the very basics of voltages / currents from high school physics. Paula comes to AskElectronics because she's looking for a way to "translate" her programming skills into electronics.I'd argue that Paula the Programmer doesn't get much, if anything, from our FAQ. That's fine however. We might be able to point her towards the right direction. We can point her towards /r/arduino or /r/microcontrollers and she'll probably have a much better time over there than over here. http://ift.tt/2pPQWiq by Towson Makerspace