RE: Data on who uses help?

Subject: RE: Data on who uses help?
From: Anita Legsdin <anita -dot- legsdin -at- watchmark -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 15:52:58 -0800


The only studies I've seen show that most people don't use Help or read
manuals until they're stuck. There are 3 learning styles, and which one you
use depends entirely on your personality:

1. "Warm and fuzzy"--this kind of person never opens Help, never cracks a
manual. They want a real, live person to talk to.
2. "Don't fence me in"--this kind of person opens the box, takes out the
product, examines it, tries to figure it out him/herself. Uses intuition to
get going with the product, only opens Help when they can't figure things
out themselves. In this case, the Help had better be good, because they're
already frustrated by the time they get to it.
3. "my former boss"--this kind of person (rare) leaves the box untouched,
opens the manual, reads it from page 1 through until the end. When they
finish, they know the product inside out, then open the box and start using
it. (Drove me crazy!)

Anita Legsdin
Sr. Technical Writer
WatchMark
(425) 564-8135

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
--Walt Disney




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