Re: Modern vs Old-fashioned Help

[Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>]

In my experience, a help system being hard to navigate is usually a
symptom of disorganization.

Disorganization often results from unplanned, unexamined growth. Maybe
the TOC in the first release of the help system made sense (maybe),
but as people add topics release after release, eventually things
become disorganized and confusing.

On Mon, Jul 25, 2011 at 9:11 AM,  <Brian -dot- Henderson -at- mitchell1 -dot- com> wrote:
> I've had so many bad experiences with horrible navigation in electronic
> documents that creating good navigation is now one of my absolute top
> priorities.
> I've taken over many existing projects that have required a complete
> makeover, and most of the time the only feedback I get is about how much
> easier the re-vamped product is to use. With all the changes that I
> might have made, it's the improved navigation that gets noticed the
> most.
>
> -Brian H.
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Peter Neilson
>
> ...Or the practice, still incredibly common, of constructing government
> websites according to the internal structure of the government. Can't
> find the Water Department's hours? That's because it's under Facilities
>> Services > Infrastructure > Parks, Water & Sewer > Water & Sewer >
> Water > Office hours. And at each level you can only see one level
> deeper, and not the name of the current level or the ones above.
>
> --
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
http://www.doctohelp.com

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