Robert Pirsig’s Message for Documentation QualityHenrietta Nickels Shirk

Teachers of technical communication frequentlyrecommend that their students read Robert Pirsig’sZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)for his views on the complex relationships betweentechnology and human values. As a former technicalwriter, Pirsig also offers some useful advice aboutQuality and its relation to the usability of technicaldocumentation. Revisiting Pirsig’s works, including themore recently published Lila (1991), reveals conceptsabout Quality in documentation that are especiallyrelevant to the usability testing of the documentationfor today’s rapidly evolving technologies. This paperexamines Pirsig’s views on the some of thecharacteristics of effective technical communication,and it offers advice to educators and trainers forincorporating Pirsig’s concepts about Quality intotheir teaching of techniques for the usability testing,and hence quality, of user documentation.

ONGOING QUEST FOR QUALITY

Robert Pirsig is an author obsessed with the concept ofQuality. The Voyager Company’s recently publishedhypertextual software version of Pirsig’s two books--Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) andLila (1991)--indicates that he uses the word "Quality” atotal of 393 times in these books. The subtitles of thebooks indicate that Pirsig sees values and morals asabsolutely fundamental to the idea of quality.

Zen: "An Inquiry into Values”

The inquiry of Zen is an exploration of the meaning ofvalue in life, which is the basic meaning of Quality. Thepursuit of Quality, in both its metaphysical andepistemological senses, is the intellectual and emotionalgoal for Pirsig and his reason for writing the book. Hisobsession for Quality has also been what Pirsig believesto have been the cause of his insanity. For Pirsig, thisconcept of Quality is impossible to define, although it isessential to his philosophical system. Nevertheless, heprovides this definition: "Quality is the continuingstimulus which our environment puts upon us to createthe world in which we live. All of it. Every last bit of it”(6).

Lila: "An Inquiry into Morals”

The inquiry of Lila is an exploration of the meaning ofethics. For Pirsig this concept is a practical applicationof his views on Quality to a specific human situation,which is a story that considers the value of aparticular individual. That character is Lila, whoappears to be an unlikely candidate for demonstratingthe nature of quality. Pirsig concludes at the end of thebook that the Metaphysics of Quality "isn’t a noun or anadjective or anything else definable,” but if you had toreduce it to a single sentence, Quality is a noun ratherthan an adjective (5).

Both books represent Pirsig’s continuing inquiries intothe meaning of Quality, first from a theoreticalperspective, and secondly from a practical or appliedperspective. With Pirsig as an example, technicalcommunicators can apply the theory of Quality to actualpractice, especially in the area of quality assurance.Pirsig’s professional affinities with technicalcommunicators are notable, and they make his viewsespecially relevant to current theories of qualityassurance as they pertain to documentation. Beforewriting his books, Pirsig was himself a professionaltechnical communicator.

PIRSIG AS TECHNICAL WRITER

Early in Zen, Pirsig informs the reader that he (orhimself as the book’s narrator) has been editing digitalcomputer manuals prior to the motorcycle trip that hedescribes in the book. As he explains, "Writing andediting is what I do for a living the other eleven monthsof the year.”(6) At other times in the book, he alsorefers to himself as "an engineering writer” and to thefact that he has a degree in journalism and has workedas a journalist, a science writer, and an industrial-advertising writer (6).

Much later, in Lila, Pirsig tells the reader that "forseveral years he [now identified as his former self oralter-ego Phaedrus] wrote technical manuals describingcomplex military computers” and that he "had learnedhow to troubleshoot computers electronically”(5).

Pirsig, as narrator of his books, is clearly anexperienced technical communicator who knows abouttechnology, and he has some relevant advice for thosein the field today.

It is from the basis of his experience as a technicalcommunicator that Pirsig describes what he calls"spectator manuals.” These are user documents that are"full of errors, ambiguities, omissions and informationso completely screwed up you had to read them sixtimes to make any sense out of them.”(6)

Spectator manuals present their information without anyconsideration of the difficulties of the user. Suchmanuals are devoid of characteristics which Pirsigwould consider aspects of Quality.

USABILITY TESTING = QUALITY

Before further examining Pirsig’s concept of Quality, itis useful to look at some of the current approaches tousability testing.

Usability testing is typically equated with theprocedures that are part of the product quality assuranceprocess. Product documentation is typically part of thisprocess of checking for quality. Dumas and Redishmaintain that "usability means that the people who usethe product can do so quickly and easily to accomplishtheir own tasks”(2). From a technical communicator’sperspective, this means not writing spectator manuals. Italso means paying attention, and perhaps even lookingcritically at, the processes and steps involved in theusability testing procedures.

The goal of all usability testing is to identify and correctdeficiencies in products and their supporting materialsprior to their release. According to Rubin, the intent isto ensure the creation of products that "are easy to learnand to use” and "are satisfying to use”(8). Others wouldalso add that the intent of usability testing is to provideutility and functionality that are highly valued by thetarget population (3). Through choices about content,organization, style, format, and graphics, technicalcommunicators make decisions about what is valuablefor their audiences.

According to Nielsen and Mack, "usability is a fairlybroad concept that basically refers to how easy it is forusers to learn a system, how efficiently they can use itonce they have learned it, and how pleasant it is to use.Also, the frequency and seriousness of user errors arenormally considered to be constituent parts of usability.Thus, a user can find an interface element to be

problematic for many reasons: It might make the systemharder to learn; it might make it slower for users toperform their tasks; it may cause usage errors; or it maysimply be ugly or otherwise unpleasing”(4).

Ease of learning is only one attribute of usability. Otherattributes of usability like functionality and ease of usewere found to be correlated with ease of learning byWharton, et al. (9).

The above conclusions from recent books on usabilitytesting demonstrate the attention that is increasinglygiven to the objective and quantitative aspects ofproducts. Quality is therefore ostensibly achieved whenusers can learn a product quickly, use it efficiently, andmake fewer errors when doing so, and therefore havewhat Pirsig calls Quality. We can therefore concludethat products, including user documentation, that fulfillthese characteristics are satisfying and pleasing, andhave what Pirsig calls Quality.

Pirsig’s work thus adds a further aspect of quality to ourquantitative definition. He accomplishes this expansionthrough various episodes within his narrative structure.

TECHNOLOGY: SCIENCE & ART

One example from Pirsig’s narrative in Zendemonstrates his views on why and how technicalcommunicators should pay attention to the quality oftheir work. While visiting his friends the DeWeeses inMontana, Pirsig attends a social event during which hishost brings him a set of instructions for assembling anoutdoor barbecue rotisserie which he asks Pirsig "toevaluate as a technical writer” (6). Apparently,DeWeese has spent a whole afternoon unsuccessfully,and with great frustration, trying to assemble therotisserie.

During the ensuing conversation, Pirsig demonstrateshis dualistic concepts of the classical (scientific andtechnical) and romantic (artistic and creative)viewpoints, which we can apply when considering thequality of technical communication. Science andtechnology work with chunks and bits and pieces ofthings, while art works with the continuity of thingspresumed, with the chunks and bits and piecespresumed. As Pirsig formulates the problem, "What he[DeWeese] really wants me to damn is the lack ofartistic continuity, something an engineer couldn’t careless about. It hangs up, really, on the classic-romanticsplit, like everything else about technology”(6).

Pirsig proceeds to suggest that the concept of having"great peace of mind” opens up vast realms for theimprovement of technical writing. And he explains thatthe machine (that is, technology) is neither right norwrong, and that the test of the machine is always in themind of its user (6). Two factors, then, may be presentthat reduce the quality and usability of documentation:

(1) The writer may have obtained the contentinformation from the least qualified person. Writersmay be assigned by management to get their materialfrom the technical person needed the least, to "thebiggest goof-off” available, because the really goodtechnicians are too busy doing technical work. In suchcircumstances, whatever the "goof-off” tells the writerbecomes the content of the user documentation.

(2) The writer may mistakenly assume that there is justone right way to do things. In such cases, theinstructions begin and end exclusively with themachine. They are not task-oriented. As Pirsig explainsit, "if you have to choose among an infinite number ofways to put it [the machine] together then the relation tothe machine to you, and the relation of the machine andyou to the rest of the world, has to be considered,because the selection from among many choices, the artof the work is just as dependent upon your own mindand spirit as it is upon the material of the machine.That’s why you need the peace of mind”(6).

Being aware of both of these factors that can go wrongwith the process of creating documents can helptechnical communicators avoid building their "personalproblems right into the machine [documentation]itself,” according to Pirsig. The merging of technologyand art is an important aspect of avoiding theseproblems. As Pirsig describes our society’s presentclassical-romantic split, "what’s wrong with technologyis that it’s not connected in any way with matters of thespirit and heart” (6).

PEDAGOGICAL SUGGESTIONS

Students and professional practitioners of technicalcommunication can be made aware of the importance of"spirit and heart” (and passion and creativity) indesigning and evaluating the effectiveness of userdocuments.

Pirsig can be the starting point for a study unit onQuality assurance in any undergraduate or graduatecourse in technical communication. His views are justas relevant today as they were in the 1970s. Some

suggested activities for accomplishing this integrativetask are:

(1) Begin with a close, thorough reading and discussionof the texts. Pirsig’s books are still available inpaperback editions, so it is financially feasible toinclude them as additional required texts for a variety oftechnical communication courses at both the graduateand undergraduate levels.

(2) Identify and discuss as many of Pirsig’s dualisms aspossible, requiring students to "take sides” andparticipate in role-playing to argue for the variouspositions. Some of these dualisms, for example, includethose of subject and object, romantic and classic,mysticism and mechanism, mind and machine, thoughtand action, art and engineering, and East and West.

(3) Require students to write their own definitions ofQuality in reference to the kinds of technicalcommunication they are studying. Have them extendand expand this exercise through applying fellowclassmates’ definitions to various samples of technicalcommunication.

(4) Use the Guidebook to "Zen and the Art ofMotorcycle Maintenance” (1) as a collection ofresources for understanding Pirsig’s book. Place it onreserve in your university library. It includes usefulbackground on both Eastern and Western philosophy,critical reviews of the book, a bibliography, topics fordiscussion and further research, chapter-by-chapterdetailed explanatory notes, and an analytical index.

(5) Invite a practicing product quality assurancespecialist to be a guest speaker in your class.Ask students to prepare questions for this speaker aheadof time, and to focus not only on how such work isaccomplished, but also on how quality assuranceprofessionals decide when a product is satisfying orpleasing to potential user, and on how functionality canrelate to the "art” of products and their userdocumentation.

(6) Require students to interview some typical users ofproducts that they personally know very well, and thento report orally or in writing on their findings. Theirquestions to the users should address both the scienceand the art of using the products.

In addition to the above activities, students may also bereferred to the list of websites on Pirsig at the end ofthis article.

Although Pirsig is deeply concerned about theabstraction of Quality in his Zen and Lila, he is alsoconvinced that conceptualizing can be the enemy ofQuality. Pirsig knows that Quality is a process and thatmaking it into an idea, and especially into a definition,destroys something about it (7). As he explains, "Allthis classical talk about Quality isn’t Quality” (6).

Abstraction may be unavoidable in talking about theQuality of technical communication. However, the mostimportant effort that technical communicators can makewhen evaluating their professional work is to resistrationalizing and intellectualizing, and to examine theirprofessional work empirically. The quality assuranceeffort provides this opportunity.

In the narrative of Zen, Pirsig tells the reader that "it isbetter to travel than to arrive.” (6). Being on the way toQuality is more important than arriving at one’sdestination. It is, after all, the process of usabilitytesting that results in the assurance of quality thatcharacterizes effective technical communication. And itis the process that requires ongoing critical analysis.

Pirsig’s perspectives on Quality can add several newand important dimensions to the quality assuranceprocess that is essential for technical communicators toeffectively design products that meet the needs of theirdiverse audiences.

REFERENCES

(1) DiSanto, Ronald L., and Thomas J. Steele,Guidebook to "Zen and the Art of MotorcycleMaintenance,” William Morrow and Company, Inc.,New York, 1990.

(2) Dumas, Joseph S., and Janice C. Redish. APractical Guide to Usability Testing, Ablex PublishingCorporation, Norwood, New Jersey, 1993.

(3) Gould, J. D. and C. Lewis, "Designing forUsability: Key Principles and What Designers Think,”Communications of the ACM, 2 (3), March 1985, pp.300-311.

(4) Nielsen, Jakob, and Robert L. Mack, eds., UsabilityInspection Methods, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., NewYork, 1994.

(5) Pirsig, Robert M., Lila: An Inquiry into Morals.Bantam Books, New York, 1991.

(6) Pirsig, Robert M., Zen and the Art of MotorcycleMaintenance: An Inquiry into Values, Bantam Books,New York, 1974.

(7) Rodino, Richard H., "Irony and Earnestness inRobert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of MotorcycleMaintenance,” Critique: Studies in Modern Fiction,Vol. 22 (1980), pp. 21-31.

(8) Rubin, Jeffrey, Handbook of Usability Testing:How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests,John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1994.

(9) Wharton, Cathleen, John Rieman, Clayton Lewis,Peter Polson, "The Cognitive Walkthrough Method: APractitioner’s Guide,” in Jakob Nielsen and Robert L.Mack, eds., Usability Inspection Methods, John Wiley& Sons, Inc., New York, 1994, pp. 105-140.

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

http://www.levity.com/corduroy/pirsig.htm A goodsource for numerous Pirsig web links.

http://gopher.tarleton.edu/academics/depts/english/pirsig.htm The “Robert Pirsig Resources Project.”

http://gopher.tarleton.edu/academics/depts/english/nyt.htm/ A 1974 “New York Times” interview with Pirsig.

http://home.sol.no/~skutvik/ “The Quality Event.”

http://gopher.tarleton.edu/academics/depts/english/writing.htm “Passages Concerning Writing in Pirsig.”

http://wwwis.cs.utwente.nl:8080/~faase/P/B/Z/ Accessto online text of “Zen” and additional resources.

Henrietta Nickels Shirk, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Technical CommunicationEnglish Department, University of North TexasP. O. Box 308503Denton, TX 76203-8503Telephone: 940-565-2188; Fax: 940-565-4355E-mail: hnshirk@unt.edu

Henrietta Nickels Shirk is a senior member of STC. She is a frequent conference presenter, and she haspublished widely on many aspects of the theory andpractice of technical communication. She teachesundergraduate and graduate courses in the technicalcommunication program at the University of NorthTexas, Denton, TX, and she is a consultant to industryon professional ethics and online documentation.