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Subject:RE: Future of documentation in Web-based apps From:"SM Rush" <sellar -at- apptechsys -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 28 Jun 2001 17:08:10 -0700
The need for documentation is dictated by two things (at least): (1) how
complex the app is, and (2) how well the app is designed in terms of
usability.
It is not a question of a new type of design. Any GUI design can
incorporate instructional information, using both verbal and non-verbal
communication (such as intelligent layout) to direct users in what to do.
These practices are well established.
When it comes to web apps, there are a couple of dynamics going on.
First is that ever-present attitude that the web (or new technology in
general) is some kind of cure-all for all our problems. Your boss needs to
understand that "easy-to-use" takes hard work and planning, it's not just
going to happen. At the same time, you need to recognize that maybe he's
asking some good questions. Well-designed and easy-to-understand GUIs are
ten times more valuable than a user manual for a bad app. And being a
technical communicator doesn't necessarily mean that all you do is write
manuals.
This might be a good time to educate and get support for more usability
work. Who's writing the text for dialog boxes? Who's naming the commands
and organizing them into menus? Who's arranging the sequence of controls on
a page? All of these aspects of the GUI communicate to the user, and often
they are done by people whose job focus is just to make the features
available and make sure the app doesn't blow up when you press a button.
The second dynamic involves how web apps have been developed so far and what
people's perceptions of them are. (1) Lots of web apps in the past have
been simple--so far, with one or two specific uses. The average user may
not realize it, but web apps now have as much functionality as any regular
app. (2) The way the web works (or maybe more importantly the way
programmers make it work) has a sequential flavor. You click a button and
the page updates or jumps to another page. A very common format for a web
app is a "wizard" approach, walking the user through a process step by step.
This approach is particularly popular for simple apps with only one or two
purposes. But what is a wizard? It's a sequence of tasks incorporated into
the application.
The problem with the prevalent perceptions is that they're already wrong or
soon will be. Web apps will continue to get larger and more complex, and as
they do they'll probably start looking more like standard apps, with menu
bars and functions. Wizards which work best in only the most structured
situations, won't solve all our problems.
Maybe the advent of web apps will hasten the shift in emphasis from user
manuals to intelligent, well-designed GUIs. I personally think it would be a
good thing. (For the protectionists out there, manuals will never become
extinct, but they might evolve. Imagine a slim Word manual that ignores
three-line procedures on how to bold a word, but goes in depth into the
concept of styles and document automation. Imagine never having to write
the sentence: "To save, click Save.")
Bottom line: Getting rid of a user manual isn't an chance to save money.
It's an opportunity to build a better product.
_______________________
sella rush
applied technical systems
silverdale, wa
developers of CCM knowledge discovery
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