Re: "Teaching" wizards?

[Chris Willis <cfwillis -at- M1TECH -dot- COM>]

>I think we're missing the point here. Wizards are not teaching tools;
they
>are task automation tools. Wizards are intended to help users
performs tasks
>that are complex, require experience, or are infrequently used. A
well
>designed wizard intentionally hides the actual steps required to
perform the
>task that's being automated. As a result, wizards are not well suited
to
>teaching users how to do something.

Absolutely right on. We used the following guidelines recently to help
educate a client:

Interactive Tutorials are software
training modules designed to support software and related processes.
These modules deliver with the software application, and are called
directly from the software or help system to provide just-in-time
instruction, but the tutorial does not return information to the host
application. Tutorials may include sound, video, and/or bookmarking.
Testing or a brief quiz may be included to reinforce learned skills.
Users rely on tutorials to learn how to use software for the first time,
or as a refresher for selected portions of the software.

Wizards provide a simplified, controlled interface to walk users directly
through the steps required to enter information into the system. The
wizard sends the user information to the host application for processing.
Rather than teaching the user how to use the software application (as a
tutorial would), the Wizard helps the user complete a required task as
quickly as possible.



Chris Willis
Media 1 Technicom, Inc.
616.837.6119 voice
616.837.1975 fax
cfwillis -at- m1tech -dot- com
www.m1tech.com

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