Creating Help Systems

1
Creating Help Systems

• Biljana Ivkovic
• Gilberto Santos
• Tamara Mitrovic

2
Types of Help Systems

• On-line help
• A built in part of the application that can be
  accessed in different ways using menus, shortcut
  keys, links etc.
• For many users this is the preferred type since
  using it does not require them to leave the
  application, and it is much easier and faster to
  find information they are looking for.

3
Types of Help Systems (contd)

• User manual
• Help system that is created and maintained as a
  text document and can be printed when needed.
• Not as flexible as the online help in terms of
  its distribution to the users.
• Hard to maintain since distributing updates
  requires re-printing of the document.

4
Why Do People Use Help?

• For reminders
• Many users refer to Help to remind them of
  something they have forgotten. For example, users
  frequently look up specific tasks and keyboard
  shortcuts.
• To learn an application
• Novices and other users often choose Help to
  learn a new application. Because Help is
  perceived as part of the application, it is the
  easiest to access.

5
Why Do People Use Help? (contd)

• To find specific information
• Many users request Help only when they have a
  specific question. Often, they have tried to do
  something on their own first and were
  unsuccessful.
• To explore
• Users sometimes browse the Help file just to see
  what's there, following one topic to the next,
  gradually tracing a path through the information
  and building an understanding of it. Hypertext
  systems like Windows Help are especially
  compatible with this kind of use.

6
Help Categories

• Installation
• Describes how to install a program or device but
  not how to use it.
• Reference
• Detailed descriptions of particular items
  presented in alphabetical order. Reference
  documentation is designed for people who are
  already somewhat familiar with the product but
  need reminders or very specific information about
  a particular topic.

7
Help Categories (contd)

• Tutorial
• Teaches a user how to use the product. Tutorials
  move at a slower pace than reference manuals and
  generally contain less detail.

8
Principles in Designing a User-friendly Help
System