Re: online help usability

Subject: Re: online help usability
From: Jonathan Price <jonprice -at- AOL -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 1994 12:09:59 EDT

What you've got so far is online documentation, but not very helpful stuff,
since you don't have any task-oriented procedures. Pouring the docs online
does not help a lot, I think. I strongly urge you to add procedures.

Other names, possible: Information, with the icon being the European i with a
big dot. That's international, and has less ill repute than Help. But part
of what gives Help a bad rep is that people put concepts and tours and other
stuff up in a big jumble, and then call it Help. I would separate out the
Tour, and call it that. Think of who you're aiming each of these things at,
and why: the tour's for starters, right? But the rest f what you describe
sounds like good old-fashioned reference, with extra stuff about Windows, but
not about your product. I'd try to separate out what's aimed at helping
people who are in the middle of work (procedures), people who are just
wondering what this gizmo is (ref), people who want to get an overview (tour
and concepts), so users don't stray into the wrong area, and have to back
out. The whole omnium gatherum could be called Info.

Good luck!

Jonathan Price
Communication Circle
918 La Senda, NW
Albuquerque, NM, 87107


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