RE: User's guide for Web applications

[Wade Courtney <wade -dot- courtney -at- nocpulse -dot- com>]

Laura,

I recommend that you plan for the future.  In other words even though you're
not planning online help, I can tell you that your users will eventually get
tired of the PDF thing.  We started out with online help right off the bat
and use the pdf as a supporting mechanism.  I use Frame 6 and Web Works
Publisher 6.0.7 to create the pdf and the online help.

> The technical writers here have been asked to create a user's 
> guide in PDF
> to be distributed to the end users of a new Web app. We 
> expect users to
> download the PDF from the Web site and search (and perhaps print) the
> document for answers to their questions. There is no plan for 
> online help

 
> Although we have extensive experience creating user's guides for
> Windows-based apps, we're new to creating a similar document 
> for a Web-based
> app. (In fact, I even question the need for one, but that's a 
> fight I'm not
> going to win.) 

If you want your users to user your product you need documentation whether
it be for windows or the web.

> How much information did you include in the application itself and in the
user's guide? 

I only used pop-up help for terms or concepts specific to our application.
In the user guide I cover five basic topics:
what is it?
What does it do?
What is its purpose?
How does it work
Why is it relevant. 

I also include detailed explanations of some concepts where warranted.

>Did you find that some information had to be  repeated in both media or
were you able to make a clear distinction as to what goes in the
> app and what goes in the doc? 

Since it is single-source everything is in both documents.  The pop-up help
I do on the fly and some information is repeated while some is not.

> What level of detail did you go to in the user's guide? We're  thinking
that our users require a broad overview of the application, but  not
step-by-step, "click here," "type your name" details. 

I would include as much information as it takes for them to do and
understand what they have done.

> How often do you update the PDF? Do you inform users of changes to the
user's guide, and if so, how? 

I publish release notes and a current user guide every 2 to 3 weeks.

> Do you include screenshots of actual Web pages in the user's  guide? If
so, do you encounter difficulties in keeping the PDF current?

Yes I do and yes it is. Especially when developers change the text of a
button or a link.

> Have you gotten any user feedback about the user's guide that  you've
found helpful? 

Yes, mostly about more information they wanted to see that was specific to
our product.


Have a solid change process in place with your engineering team so that you
know what changes are coming before they arrive.

Write if you have any more questions.

Regards, 

C. Wade Courtney
Technical Writer
Webmaster
-----------------------------
NOCPulse Inc.
1293 Mountain View-Alviso Road
Suite D
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Direct 408.541.2847
Fax 408.735.3775
mailto:wade -at- nocpulse -dot- com

 

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