Re: minimal manuals

[Mike Showalter <mike -at- NWNET -dot- NET>]

Here are three other citations:

AU   Gong-R.
IN   Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
TI   The development of a task-oriented, minimal content user's manual.
SO   SIGCHI Bulletin.  vol.21, no.3.  pp. 29-33.  Jan. 1990.
YR   1990.
DE   system-documentation.  user-manuals.
ID   task-oriented.  minimal content.  computer manuals.  computer users.
     content.  presentation.  manual format.  Minimal Manual.
     non-professional computer learners.  alternative user manual.
     occupational safety applications software.  IBM PC.  low-back injury.
     manual labor tasks.  effectiveness.
AB   The intuition that computer manuals are scorned and disregarded by
     computer users is difficult to dispute.  P. Wright (1988) has observed
     that the writing of 'adequate' documentation involves the integration of
     at least three basic decisions: decisions about the content of the
     manual, decisions about the presentation of the information in the manual
     and decisions about how the effectiveness of the manual should be
     evaluated.  J.M.  Carroll et al.  (1986) has developed a manual format
     called the 'Minimal Manual' which significantly addresses the first two
     decisions.  The Minimal Manual aims to tailor the content and
     presentation format of a user's manual to the needs and behavior of
     non-professional computer learners and users.  Such a format stands in
     sharp contrast to the traditional format of most user's manuals.  The
     author presents a study which utilized the principles proposed by Carroll
     et al., to write an alternative user manual for a particular occupational
     safety applications software which runs on the IBM PC.  This software is
     used to predict the likelihood of a low-back injury while performing
     certain kinds of manual labor tasks.  The study also investigates how the
     effectiveness of a manual should be evaluated.


AU   Hill-Duin-A.
TI   Computer documentation-centering on the learner.
SO   Journal of Computer-Based Instruction.  vol.17, no.2.  pp.  73-8.  Spring
     1990.
DE   computer-aided-instruction.  system-documentation.
ID   learner goals.  minimal manual version.  cards version.  documentation.
     computing behaviors.  telecommunication system.  attitudes.  technical
     writing course.  CBI documentation.  goals.
AB   Investigates the effects of a minimal manual version versus a cards
     version of documentation on students' computing behaviors while learning
     to use a telecommunication system, students' attitudes toward the
     documentation, and students' later use of the system.  Subjects were 74
     junior and senior college-level students enrolled in a technical writing
     course.  Results showed that students in both treatments completed the
     tasks and felt that the documentation was relatively easy to use.  There
     were significant differences, however, in the students' manual/display
     coordination, in their ratings of the instruction, and in their later use
     of the system.  The central implication of the study is that CBI
     documentation needs to center on the learner's goals instead of on the
     system or on the concepts that are being taught.


AU   Gong-R.  Elkerton-J.
TI   Designing minimal documentation using a GOMS model: a usability
     evaluation of an engineering approach.
SO   SIGCHI Bulletin.  spec. issue.  pp. 99-106.  April 1990.
CT   CHI '90 Conference Proceedings. Empowering People.  Seattle, WA, USA.
     1-5 April 1990.
DE   human-factors.  system-documentation.  training.  user-interfaces.
     user-manuals.
ID   minimal documentation.  GOMS model.  usability evaluation.  engineering
     approach.  minimal manual.  word processing system.  reduced verbiage.
     focus on real tasks.  error recovery support.  learning performance.
AB   The minimal manual has been demonstrated to improve the performance of
     novices learning a word processing system.  However, little research
     exists to suggest a practical methodology for implementing the important
     features of a minimal manual.  Using the GOMS model, the authors
     incrementally modified a manual to include certain minimal manual
     features: reduced verbiage, focus on real tasks, and error recovery
     support.  An evaluation of the manuals with novice users demonstrated
     significant improvements in learning performance when the manual was
     modified to be task-oriented with explicit procedural steps for
     accomplishing real tasks.


Mike Showalter
mike -at- nwnet -dot- net