FW: When to use screen shots (was: screen dumps in books)

[Lynn Perry <CLPerry -at- WALLDATA -dot- COM>]

Brierley -at- QUODATA -dot- COM wrote:
<snip>
> So, how about it? When to use screen shots (including re-typing or
> capturing text-based screens) and when not to? Am I too minimalist?
> Thoughts?
<\snip>

We use screenshots heavily in our tutorials. Our documentation is online
only, so we only have to think about the screen. If you have print to worry
about, your choices might be different. I tend to copy the entire screen,
regardless of how much is repeated from the previous screen. In step-by-step
information, users appear to ignore the part of the screen that isn't
relevant. Providing the entire screen seems to orient them better, however.

The caveat from here would be that if you can't capture the screens, the art
you create should match exactly what the user will see. If the screens
differ, even a little, it can be confusing. In that case, I might be more
inclined to capture only part of the screen and orient them using text (At
the lower-right area of the screen...).

HTH

C. Lynn Perry
clperry -at- walldata -dot- com
Wall Data Incorporated / Seattle WA
Some days it doesn't pay to gnaw through the straps


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