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Are you an 'SME buzzer' or 'dig first, ask later' type of technical writer? Which SME personality you find most hard to deal with, and which interviews are a breeze? Take this truly revealing quiz to find out!

Which SME Type Is Your Soulmate?

Sounds like you're a whirlabout that can't stop (or start) turning - you genius just keep doing things at your own intervals. Tweaking a diagram for 3 days, and then hypertyping the content for the long-winded procedure 30 minutes before release - if that sounds about right to you, then your only hope, my friend, is a unicorn from the land of all-available SMEs. Or, just the same whirlabout as you, who doesn't mind being left alone for days, and then questioned relentlessly for long hours on short notice. But hey, in all fairness, you're probably a lucky quick-witted bastard who somehow manages to jolt all the needed info accurately, and with minor typos only. But it’s OK, just as long as you compensate by aligning all arrows on that diagram in perfection.

Your SME type - Anythinger, anytimer

Hellooo, your awesomeness. Your magnificent deliverables are bound to become a new Bible for the lost sheep of airline consoles and rocket launchers... or about any regular Oracle user. No offence, Oracle. :) But yea, you're that good. Thorough to the bone and probably a consistency preacher, you cover all the little ifs and whens and document in a way that leaves little space for ambiguity. And you'd be the king (or queen) if your user - Brady - was a Sherlock caught at his leisure. But the truth is, Brady is a salesman who just wants to know if he can sneakily edit that report after it expires, and if he does edit it, will the app send a notification to his manager. I'd venture you'd find yourself enamored with an SME who is your users' heart and soul, and can advise what kind of info to put in the spotlight, and how to rework 3 pages into a small GIF. Just grit your teeth and get to the hardest part - cleaning out all the painfully documented but apparently superfluous tips and tidbits.

Your SME type - User chooser

Whoa whoa was that a lightning strike? Because you certainly nailed all those features in a flash, quick and neat. Only... well, your nailing might need a bit of hammering to get it all the way in. Meaning, you kind of seem to be the type who tends to contend themselves with describing how to search, where to click, what to fill in, and that's about it - more like surface scratching. So, you'd best set your looks (and hooks) on an SME who approaches things like a drama queen (or king) and is breathing all sorts of life-defining questions: what karma brought us to this step? where will this feature take us? if the user selects combination 44 out of 165 possible field values, will the result be the same as in combination 33? That deep thinker on your side will make sure you cover all the needed ground and leave no check box uncovered. Just a small hitch though... now you got to compress those square miles of text into a sensibly readable guide!

Your SME type - High-functioning brainiac

Ooohhh good call, that one. Hard to get, hard to love, but so worth the drill. This seemingly picky individual will return your document with 100 comments, but be sure that all those missed commas and tricky typos will be sought out and properly confronted. While your creative streak carries you far and wide into pretty layouts and animated diagrams to keep your users entertained, your loyal feet-on-the-ground SME will make sure you stay on the subject and actually keep your users sane. Consistency might seem boring, but at least it's consistently so, eh?

Your SME type - Close-up inspector

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Which SME Type Is Your Soulmate?

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