Use of screenshots?

Subject: Use of screenshots?
From: "Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 09:26:27 -0400


Anna Lehn wonders: <<I have read the threads on whether or not to use an
"initial" screenshot or to use a "completed" screenshot, and they seem to
advocate the use of initial screenshots.>>

The correct answer depends entirely on your goal in presenting the
screenshot. For example, if you're simply showing an image with a bunch of
callouts pointing at and defining elements of the interface, then an initial
screenshot is appropriate because you don't want viewers to be distracted by
the data in various fields. Conversely, if your goal is to show an example
of a filled in field or a selected checkbox, then you obviously need to show
the "completed" screen--and doubly important if the screen must be exact and
errors can pose serious problems. Personally, I find filled-in screens most
useful in tutorials, but they're sometimes important elsewhere too.

<<Our dilemma is that the inital shots sometimes contain default data. Do we
show the initial screenshot so the user can see what data may default, or do
we show the completed screen so that the user know how the screen is
properly filled in?>>

How about both--or neither? <g> As noted above, you need to consider why
you're presenting the screenshot before you can decide which option is best.
In some cases, the answer may be that no screenshot is necessary because the
execution of a task is so simple that the graphic doesn't add to
comprehension and may actually distract the reader. In other cases, you may
need to begin by showing the starting point, so you can prime users to
understand where they begin and where they're going, then conclude with the
completed screen so they can confirm they've filled in the blanks and
checked the checkboxes correctly.

<<What is the industry standard?>>

Part of the reason that your workplace debate has probably grown so heated
(as you mentioned) is that you're looking for a single, "one size fits all"
solution, rather than trying to think through each individual problem on its
own merits. Beware "pat" solutions; even when they work in most cases,
they'll eventually mislead you.

--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada

"Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an
accumulation of facts is no more science than a heap of stones is a
house"--Jules Henri Poincaré


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