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Re: Help? (getting users to read)

Subject: Re: Help? (getting users to read)
From: Peter Neilson <neilson -at- alltel -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 17:42:48 -0400


There's a nasty trick, but it requires the cooperation of the
software engineers. On startup the software asks, "Have You
Read The Help Pages Yet?" Woe unto the hapless user who lies
and says, "Yes," because the --correct-- answer is found on
one of the help pages. (It's something like, "You betcha!")
Other answers won't allow the software to start, but instead
make snide or soothing remarks on the virtue of RTFM.

On Mon, 10 May 2004 16:39:10 -0400, Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> wrote:


Peggy Lucero reports: <<Anyone know of studies/articles that discuss how to get users to read your help documentation?>>

Attaching dollar bills to the pages at least gets them to flip pages, or so I've heard. <g> More seriously, I'm not aware of any good way to "make" people read documentation. You can create an interface so lousy that they have no choice, but I wouldn't recommend that.

<<I've written new user guides for various sections of a naval medical website and am now trying to determine best practice/method to get our user community to read them!>>

There's this whole "obeying orders" thing you can take advantage of. <g> But seriously: if the information is essential to their job performance, then they'll be motivated to read it. If not, and if not reading it has no consequences, how can you possibly motivate them?


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References:
help: From: Lucero, Peggy A. NMIMC Contractor
Help? (getting users to read): From: Geoff Hart

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