Transcript IT Applications Theory Slideshows

On-screen
user
documentation
Contents
• What qualifies as ‘onscreen’?
• Pros and Cons: onscreen vs printed
• Types
– Quick-start guide
– Tutorial
– Content-sensitive help
– User Manual
– Technical reference
– Installation guide
(bolded ones are required knowledge)
Onscreen?
• It’s intended to be seen onscreen rather than
to be printed.
• Does NOT include: Word, PDF which are
meant to be printed.
• Does include: web pages, multimedia
animation, Flash, multimedia slideshow in
kiosk mode so user controls navigation
How to identify onscreen
documentation
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Multimedia
Lots of graphics – still pictures, graphs, photos
Hyperlinks, buttons
Animation, video, screen movies
Audio – music, sound effects, voice recording
Storing onscreen documentation
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On CD/DVD
Website
Slideshow
Electronic help file
Screen recording
Advantages of printing
• can be accessed anywhere, anytime without
the need for electricity, computer equipment
or internet connection
• is usually better written due to more careful
editing
• will still be readable even after many years
and after many changes to file systems, disk
formats, compression technologies etc which
can render electronic documents inaccessible.
Disadvantages of printing
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bulky
expensive to ship
very expensive to print in colour
slow to update
hard to search
no active links between related sections
difficult and expensive to copy
wears out with regular use
can get lost
advantages of onscreen
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instantly updateable
can use animation, video, audio etc
can be interactive
easy to search
hyperlinks connect related sections
free use of colour
easy to copy and distribute
Disadvantages of onscreen
• need electricity, a computer and often
internet to read it
• very hard to read in bright sunshine
• some locations (e.g. beach, factory, aircraft)
are not computer-friendly
• usually can't easily underline sections or add
comments
• some people find it very hard to read
onscreen
Quick start guide
• Brief introduction to a product
• Just enough information for the user to get it
started
• Only covers very basic introductory operations
Tutorial
• Actually teaches users
• Step-by-step lesson covering how to use the
product.
• Often example-based
Content-sensitive help
• Electronic help built into the product that
responds to what the user is currently doing.
• e.g. if they have a table formatting dialogue
box open and they press F1, the first help
topic offered would relate to table formatting.
• Also called context-sensitive help.
User Manual
• Complete and detailed information on every
aspect of the product, used for random
reference by the user.
Tip – use as few words as possible for an international audience
Technical reference
• For experts only, not average users
• Detailed information on how the product is
built
• How to modify, repair, extend it
• Troubleshooting
Installation Guide
• Very brief leaflet showing how to install the
hardware or software
• Usually printed rather than electronic
Good onscreen documentation
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Clear – easy to read and understand
Concise – as few words as possible
Comprehensive – nothing left out
Current - up-to-date
Correct - accurate
Controllable – easy to use & navigate