My initial reaction was that this method was complicated and that not everyone has access to a device that can scan QR codes…but everyone buying this particular product would, in theory, have bought this to use with a device that can scan the code.

Three clicks later and the QR code launched me directly to the online manual for my new keyboard. The clickable table of contents allowed me to quickly find exactly the section I wanted to read without flipping through pages of a book or scanning small hard to read text.

While it was charging, I noticed that the same QR code was on a sticker attached to the bottom of the keyboard meaning that even if I throw away the box, I don’t have to worry about losing access to the instruction manual.

Sony created a manual that I can access quickly from wherever I am with my tablet and keyboard, use easily, and never lose. This user documentation strategy was highly successful for this specific product and would be for most tablet and smart phone accessories but may not be as useful for products that do not imply the consumer has internet access. Overall, this sounds like another successful development of the digital age.

I have been working, mostly in retail, since age fifteen. I began at a small soccer-specialty store while in high school, held a few miscellaneous jobs ranging from food service to general maintenance, spent four years working in the footwear department at Dicks Sporting Goods, and two years working as a bartender and catering assistant manager.

Each customer presents a unique target audience with a specific need and point of view. I have extensive practice discovering the needs and creating a personal experience for each customer while maintaining a professional atmosphere. I have developed a long and diverse history of customer service practice, learned first-hand how merchandising and marketing strategies are implemented, and witnessed both successful and failed programs. This knowledge has reinforced the need to identify the explicit needs of each customer to ensure a successful exchange.

I use this experience to influence my writing for special circumstances, target groups, or intended message. Just like the sweet, little, old lady shopping by herself is probably not in the market for new football cleats, that same woman also probably does not want to read a technical and jargon riddled user documentation for using a new appliance.

Every audience has essential information they hope or expect to gain no matter the context or form of communication. The ability to identify those needs quickly and completely and address them appropriately is vital to becoming a successful communicator, and more specifically a successful writer.