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Re: Opinions Sought: Tool tips and What's This Help
Subject:Re: Opinions Sought: Tool tips and What's This Help From:"Margaret Secara" <margaret -dot- secara -at- alphather -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Mar 2002 09:50:55 -0800
Maggie Secara
Technical Writer
IT Systems & Programming
Alpha Therapeutic Corporation
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 227-7251
>>> "Darren Barefoot" <darren -dot- barefoot -at- capeclear -dot- com> 03/14/02 06:17AM >>>
[...]
What's the general opinion on these strategies? Are they worth doing? Do
you, as a user, actually refer to either of these kinds of information?
I would imagine that "What's This" help is more applicable for neophyte
computer users, who aren't familiar with common GUI conventions. I,
personally, rarely refer to tool tips and never, ever use "What's This"
help.
>>>>>>>>
Me as a user? No. I seldom or never use What's This? Wen I have done, it didn't seem to give me anything useful.
I do like Tool Tips, though, because button icons aren't always clear enough--those little pictures are seldom worth 1,000 words. I mean, really, if you didn't already know that a particular icon was supposed to represent a graph, would you figure it out on your own? Does a little broom (is it a broom?) automatically make you think of format painting? No wait, it's a paint brush. Sort of.
But no matter. Tool tips are especially useful when the application is new to me.
Anyway, just my tuppence ha'penny,
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