Re: UI navigation info for customizable UI

Subject: Re: UI navigation info for customizable UI
From: "Chris Orr" <got2940 -at- hotmail -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:27:15 -0400

Tara, this is a web-based product, if that is what you mean. (I'm not exactly sure what a portal is, but we do have them.)

Geoff, embedded help would solve some of our problems. But what about the scenario where a user finds a procedure in the help file and then needs to go do the procedure in the product? If they don't know where to go, there's a problem. Or am I missing something? We are atomizing our doc, as you say. This does mitigate the ui navigation issue, but it's still there. We are not yet single sourcing but will start in the next year or so. (Our team and docs have been woefully behind the curve; we are now pushing hard to catch up.)

Beth, we are changing our target user profile from near-moron to sophisticated computer user. But our product is notorious for bad ui and difficult navigation. Hopefully, the new ui will be a real improvement, but I am not convinced yet. As writers, we have to work with what they make and keep pushing for improvements.

Thanks for your ideas!

Chris Orr


From: "Tara Charter" <tara -dot- charter -at- physiciansmutual -dot- com>
To: Chris Orr <got2940 -at- hotmail -dot- com>
Subject: Re: UI navigation info for customizable UI
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 10:04:18 -0500

Is this by any chance implemented in a Portal?

Chris Orr wrote:

> Hello techwr-lers.
>
> My documentation team has a thorny problem with our product's new UI. With
> the new UI, users can choose how they want to view the product, and items
> appear in different folders and menu structures, according to the chosen
> view. Additionally, users can create new views.
>
> We do not know how to direct users to find the items mentioned in
> procedures. We have tentatively decided to provide no UI navigation info in
> the procedures but instead provide a comprehensive UI navigation section in
> our Basics chapter. But we are concerned that users may find the procedures
> they need, but not go on to use them because they can't find the items
> mentioned in the procedures.
>
> Whatever solution we decide on, it must work for us in a highly dynamic
> development environment, where we maintain hundreds of documents and
> localize them into many different languages.
>
> Do you have other options for providing UI navigation info that we should
> consider?
>
> Thanks,
> Chris Orr
>
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