Re: suggestions on how to "hide" UI-based topics in online Help TOC?

[Sue McKinney <smckinn2001 -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

I agree with Bill Swallow's suggestion to leave the UI topics in as the context-sensitive anchor points for the Help. I would then just name them by the interface name, e.g., XYZ Page. I usually put "see also" links AND "related procedures" links at the bottom of interface help topics. As Bill said, multiple procedures may be able to be performed in the interface; this way all the users are covered. Then the procedure topics can be named very specifically, e.g., Add an ABC to the XYZ.
   
  My TOCs have generally included all topics, sectioned as follows:
   
  Introductory topics (for system)
  Module/Interface 1
       Interface topic
       Accessing Interface topic
       Subinterface topics (as needed)
       Module/Interface procedures
  Module/Interface 2
       Interface topic
       Accessing Interface topic
       Subinterface topics (as needed)
       Module/Interface Procedures

  You can also put all the procedures in one section, unless there are too many. My system had multiple modules, so each module had intro, each interface and related, and a procedures "chapter" with an intro topic listing the procedures and all the procedures in alpha order. That way the users can look at the interface topics and see related procedures or go directly to the procedures.
   
  Good luck!
Sue
  
Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
  I really had trouble following your post, but as a suggestion, leave
the UI specific topics in, leave them as the context-sensitive anchor
points for the Help, and build in procedural information to which you
link from the UI topics. This way if one UI screen can be used by
users for 5 purposes, they get to that one UI topic and from there can
choose in the help what they're doing for more targeted info.

On Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 11:38 AM, Donna Barbieri wrote:
> Here is the situation - I am working as a contractor
> at a company that had a Tech Writing intern (who is
> related to someone in dev). This intern produced an
> entire WebHelp system for the application. However,
> the Help system is 100% UI specific. Topics such as
> "using XYZ" really include information about what is
> on a particular screen.
> I have been tasked with creating "usable" Help for
> first time users AND with keeping the existing Help
> for a release in the next two weeks.
>
> Since, apparently, this HAS to be there I'd like to
> minimize it's impact on users. I am thinking of
> introducing the task-based topics as one normally
> would and then renaming all the existing topics and
> including them in a logical hierarchy (oh, I didn't
> mention the current TOC has two levels - which could
> be bc there are no keywords and the index suxs - but I
> digress yet again...)...anyway, so I want to create a
> hierarchy so these topics aren't cluttering the TOC -
> question is - what should these "topics" be called I
> really want to steer away from "using XYZ Page" and
> was thinking "XYZ Options" "XYZ Page" "About XYZ"? Any
> suggestions?

-- 
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
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