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RE: Issues with distribution of technical documents
Subject:RE: Issues with distribution of technical documents From:"Swallow, William" <WSwallow -at- courion -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 29 Jun 2001 07:58:09 -0400
In a former life I worked for a dot-bomb. Obviously the application was
web-based. Sure, the UI can be developed to be as confusing or as
"intuitive" (I still don't buy stock in truly intuitive UIs due to
individual end-user understanding) as you want, but the need for
documentation and/or online help still exists. It's not only a matter of
what, but how.
In the product I documented, there were three levels of documentation/help.
The first level consisted of text-based instruction within the UI - basic
info on what to do. The second level was context-sensitive help. We
populated a database with XML-tagged content for population within a
secondary browser window (all buttons and options disabled). The Help was
accessible via small help icons appropriately located within the UI, either
next to fields or in other "to-do" areas of the UI. The third level of user
support consisted of PDF user docs located in the admin tree of the product.
If users were really lost or needed a step-by-step how-to, they pulled up
the PDF and got to work, using the UI "hints" and the help as needed.
There was some degree of repetition within these three levels of
information, in part to drive home concepts (our end-users were mostly
non-technical - newspaper editors/publishers/employees, though there were
some webmasters and other techies using the product), and in part to make
sure users didn't miss any important info should they use the PDF instead of
the help, or overlook the help tips in the UI, for example.
I will note that there was no comprehensive manual or manual set for the
product. Everything was delivered through the product in pieces, making for
easier download and providing more task-driven assistance. It seemed to
work. I had more intricate plans for the product, but alas, it was a
dot-bomb.
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BILL SWALLOW
Technical Writer
C O U R I O N C O R P O R A T I O N
1881 Worcester Road
Framingham, Mass. 01701
T E L * 508-879-8400 x316
F A X * 508-879-8500
www.courion.com
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