In this chapter Barker discusses the importance of designing a manual and what to look for and what to include and where. He starts the chapter by talking about the table of contents. The table of contents creates an outline for the manual and should be easy to use, he states the following guidelines for creating a table of contents:
1. Create the table of contents
2. Match the user analysis with information design strategies
3. acknowledge production constraints in document design
4. test and review the design
5. follow a design process for online help
The next important topic Barker discusses is matching the user with the manual. What he means by this is knowing what the purpose for the manual is. He explains it as designing for different groups and to consider the following the elements:
- Navigational aids: make sure the user groups get to the information pertinent to their needs.
- Scenarios: give each group a role model, examples of usage help users identify themselves and their main workplace activities.
- Icons: identify information for each group. They are eye catching and direct them to shortcuts.
- Metaphors: make implicit relationships to the workplace explicit so users can see and feel like the document is familiar to them.
- Job performance aids: cover technically difficult or repetitive tasks. Usually stand alone documents.
- Background information: this helps the users feel like you’re making sure they don’t fly blind.
- Special forms: tear-out forms or printable documents can help users collect information in the field for later inclusion into the document.
- Illustrations: show photographs, drawing, or clip art of users performing familiar tasks.
- Layout design: make the document fit the user’s desktop.
- Examples of usage: Include introductions explaining examples of use of the program.
- Special document sections: Provide a “getting started” section with three or four useful examples.
- Tips: include performance-oriented elaborations and introductions.
- Explanations: explain why file naming and directory structuring of program files can help retrieve reports and files.
- Examples: show program data imported into a word processing or database program.
- Meet efficiency goals/command summaries for efficiency. provide shortcuts, quick-key combinations.
- Problem Solving: encourage problem solving by suggesting options, encouraging creative solutions and thought-provoking problems.
- Emphasis on information management and communication work: identify functions that relate to information management and communication.
it is then important to realize the features you can afford and decide according. After the features are decided it is important to test and review the document.
Barker then discusses online help documents, he stresses the significance of naming the topics appropriately. With that he talks about interconnected elements. This means selecting topics that refer to another topic.
Barker finishes the chapter talking about the overall document. He states that within each manual there will be two or three manuals in one for the different levels of the user. He also talks about making the manual user friendly, what he means by this is to help the user navigate. He gives an example of placing the index in the front matter which is usually not done, the users rejected the manual because it didn’t meet their expectations. If you choose to switch things up, explain it to the user. He talks about the importance of headers and footers and layering on a page, which means having two forms of information on the page at once to satisfy more than one reader.
2 comments:
I think Barker's tips about meeting the user's task needs are very useful. I especially like the part about making the document fit the user's desktop. I've encountered several programs that quickly became a pain because they don't fit the space of my desktop. I don't think a lot of people actually think about that when they are designing documents, so I'm glad Barker pointed it out.
I think Barker's suggestions about making the document fit the user’s desktop is something that is often overlooked by designers. This often occurs when people attempt to transfer documents designed for print media to the screen, rather than designing specifically for the screen. .Pdf-based help documentation is often guilty of this. It can be very tedious to navigate and the type can appear very small.
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