TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Explaining buttons without using graphics From:"Donna Marino" <domarino -at- earthlink -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 10 Dec 1999 10:59:11 -0700
I'm creating a JavaHelp help system for a client. Whenever a procedure
requires the user to click a button, I would include a graphic of the
button. The problem is that the current version of JavaHelp displays
graphics of very poor quality. So I've been forced to remove the button
graphics from the help file. My question is: How do I convey to the user
which button to click for certain functions? The buttons in the application
I'm documenting are very un-intuitive and most users probably won't know
their function simply by looking at them. Therefore, it's not helpful to say
to the user "Click the Totals button." Any ideas how to convey this
information without the button graphics?