User documentation is all too often written by programmers for programmers. It tends to focus on the product's features, rather than the user's tasks. Generally, programmers aren't in the ideal position to be writing user documentation. They're too close to the bits and bytes, and they're too far from the user. To them, what the product can do tends to be far more important than what the user can do with the product.
It's a subtle ? but vital ? distinction. Research shows that the key to effective user documentation is writing task oriented help. Even better, write your help according to the minimalist theory. In the documentation world, "minimalism" is a fancy word for a commonsense practice. In basic terms, it means write to your reader and keep it simple.
The theory itself has a lot of twists and turns. If you want to read a great ? but slightly wordy ? book on the subject, check out the book "Minimalism Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel", 1998, edited by John Carroll.
In the meantime, if you can tick every item in the following checklist, you'll be well on your way to usable online help that both your readers and your managers will thank you for.
Helpful Help Checklist
1. Base the help on real tasks (or realistic examples)
2. Structure the help based on task sequence ? Chapter headings should be goals and topics should be tasks
3. Respect the reader's activity ? this is generally more about what you don't do than what you do. Don't waste the reader's time by diving off into tangents
4. Exploit prior knowledge and experience ? Draw the reader's attention to previous tasks, experiences, successes, and failures
5. Prevent mistakes - "Ensure you do x before doing y"
6. Detect and identify mistakes - "If this fails, you may have entered the path incorrectly"
7. Fix mistakes - "Re-enter the path"
8. Provide error info at end of tasks where necessary (rule of thumb, one error info note per three tasks is a good average)
9. Don't break up instructions with notes, cautions, warnings, and exceptional cases - Put these things at the end of the instruction, wherever possible
10. Be brief, don't spell everything out, especially things that can be taken for granted
11. Omit conceptual and note information where possible, or link to it. Perhaps provide expansion information at the end of the topic, plus maybe a note that there are other ways to perform the task/goal, but this is the easiest
12. Sections should look short and read short
13. Provide closure for sections (e.g., back to original screen/goal)
14. Provide an immediate opportunity to act and encourage exploration and innovation (use active invitations to act, such as, "See for yourself..." or "Try this..." rather than passive invitations such as, "You can...")
15. Get users started quickly
16. Allow for reading in any order - make each section modular, especially goals, but perhaps tasks (definitely if they can be performed in different order)
17. Highlight things that are not typical
18. Use active voice rather than passive voice
19. Try to account for the user's environment in your writing
20. Before writing anything, ask yourself "Will this help my reader?"
By building these practices into your documentation process, you'll find that your online help becomes easier to write, shorter, and far more usable for your reader. What's more, your boss will love you!
About The Author
* Glenn Murray is an seo copywriter and seo copywriter. He is a director of seo copywriter and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at seo copywriter. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
You know, I really hate it when someone catches me... Read More
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers,... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
No user manual? Surely you jest!It may seem comical, but... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More
10 - You will always have a job. As long... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More
Writing better is critical for students. But it's even more... Read More
I recently set up a website to promote a new... Read More
Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:If you are an ezine publisher or... Read More
One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed conference room... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
If you are reading this article then you probably have... Read More
In the beginning of your story you have to grab... Read More
I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress... Read More
Just about everyone is familiar with this beginning: "In the... Read More
Persisting With Bulldog Determination [Book excerpt from Successercising} by Rick... Read More
Virgil, the great Roman poet, wrote "Practice and thought might... Read More
* Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages... Read More
Most writers are familiar with first and third points of... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More
We've all been told that we need to use all... Read More
Sometimes there is confusion about the exact meaning of the... Read More
The self-indulgent writer listens only to the mumblings of sycophants,... Read More
Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More
How long should your chapters be?I can't resist... I have... Read More
You've decided to write your very own Newsletter to promote... Read More
When you run an online agency for freelance writers, editors... Read More
Balance your life ... Read More
Working on my first humorous novel, I started with a... Read More
When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and... Read More
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your... Read More
A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent... Read More
Most people can easily identify with the dreaded "writer's block".... Read More
Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
Just about everyone is familiar with this beginning: "In the... Read More
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More
What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by... Read More
The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide.... Read More
The biggest mistake authors make when trying to get free... Read More
Writing |