"Old School Article"

[Julie Stickler]

> "I wonder if technology will ever reach the point where documenting
> instructions is superfluous because the interface is just that
> intuitive? "

I had a UI product manager who refused to program a context sensitive
Help link on a couple of his dialog boxes because he said they were
"intuitive" and did not need Help.  Now, he did have a point, a
calendar dialog that lets you select a date IS pretty self
explanatory. But then the developers went and coded in some really
spiffy keyboard shortcuts for maneuvering around in the calendar that
I had no way to share with our users.  Because it was so
self-explanatory that we didn't need a context sensitive help link to
the dialog.....  (I put them in the manual, but god knows if anyone
ever found them there?)

Help isn't always just how to use the software.  Good help often
includes tips and tricks that aren't obvious to the user.

Julie Stickler