RE: Soliciting ideas on how to avoid reinventing the wheel

[k k <turnleftatnowhere -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

> The online help computer literacy tutorial concept
> sounds a bit mental to
> me... if users don't even know how to use a mouse,
> hyperlink, etc., how are
> they going to get into and navigate through the
> online help file in the
> first place?
> 
> What would make more sense is to provide them with a
> good ol' fashioned
> print document explaining basic computer concepts. 
> 

I may go that route. In either case, I'd still rather
file off the serial numbers and swipe . . . er, I'd
still rather see if I can find something usable in the
public domain, rather than have to write a book in
addition to the help system. Especially since,
considering the audience, it would have to be written
at close to the "See Spot Run" level.

It may help if I give a bit more information. The
application be deployed in an area which historically
has high illiteracy and poverty rates, and the general
public is not within the same ballpark as the leading
edge of technology. Users will be all ages from the
teens on up. The application in a lot of instances
will be run from public-access computers in places
like libraries. It will most likely be set up to start
automatically when the computer is booted. The people
working at those locations may have duties that
prevent them from being very helpful to app users, and
some of them may not be much more computer-literate
anyway. I can't go the video route because there's no
video equipment in this project.

Arguing with the boss on this one is about a 50%
option. I have done some of that already and will
undoubtedly do some more later. In the meantime, I
have to make a good faith effort to follow orders.



__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard - Read only the mail you want.
http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools