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Subject:RE: Future of documentation in Web-based apps From:Sean MacRae <sean -at- rcp -dot- co -dot- uk> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 29 Jun 2001 10:10:05 +0100
Kathryn,
There's a difference between general Web sites and Web applications; your
boss may be picking up on some of the usability thinking about web sites in
general.
Basically, users of general Web sites have no buy-in. They can pop-in out of
nowhere, and zip off at the click of a mouse. They won't read documentation
about how to use your site, so they have to be able to figure out exactly
what to do from the interface and the text they see on-screen. So the wisdom
is that Web sites should need no dcumentation, just clearly visible
navigation.
Basically, the majority of users on a general Web site never move on from
the novice stage for that site. One reason why most ordering processes are
Wizard-style, with two or three steps to complete, and why Amazon protected
their 1-Click system which bypassed this for returning/experienced users.**
If you are accessing an *application* through a Web interface, you might
expect to have a different level of committment from the user. You are also
be supporting a more complex set of interactions, which may require more
complete guidance. The key point is that you are supporting a user who will
stay with you long enough to move on from the novice stage, and more expert
users need less exploratory aids and more task-oriented aids -- these may
need to be documented.
Ah, but the bottom line is that *all* software should be initially without
documentation -- almost everyone picks software up by exploration; the
documentation is a backup to exploration. Hence RTFM is a common cry. As
noted elsewhere, the Web may promote non-linear, non-printed documentation
styles.
Cheers,
Sean
** An aside, I forget the exact source -- Jeff Bezos thought of the
"One-Click(TM)" concept, and carefully described it to his developers ("Just
one click and you're done!") to implement. Off they went, time passed, and
it was ready for testing. Jeff did his one click on the "One-Click" button,
and along came a dialog with a message to the effect of "Are you sure you
wanna make the order? Click on OK to continue...".
> Subject: Future of documentation in Web-based apps
> From: "Kathryn Scoffield" <kscoffield -at- hotmail -dot- com>
[...]
> Hello everyone.
>
> My boss has asked me to research the future of documentation
> in web-based apps. Our director has mentioned future apps that use
> "easy-to-use browser based screens that users will not need guides for."
>
> For those who work in web-based usability, are there such
> screens? Perhaps
> there's a method of interface design we're not aware of?
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