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Chapter 11
Designing Online Support Elements
In this chapter, we will look at some common support elements you may want to design for the online
medium. Technical writers can read this chapter to learn how to design Help, tutorials, and other online
elements.
11.1 Designing Help
In spite of a “well-designed” user interface, users often get stuck while performing tasks. At times like
these, they need quick information, online. One of the things this section helps you in is deciding what
Help elements you should provide. It also guides you in designing common online Help elements such
as field Help and message Help.
11.1.1 Help and software usability
As they advance from novices to experts, software users could find themselves in various problem
situations. One such situation is when a user is stuck with a problem—while in the middle of a task. As
Duffey and others [1] call it, the user has “hit an impasse.” The task comes to a standstill. The user
probably needs to respond to customers, who are waiting in line. Because of the problem, the user’s
background, and the current work situation (customers waiting), the user may be anxious or frustrated.
The user needs immediate assistance—quick support information to aid in completing the task. And the
information is required online because the user does not have the time or the frame of mind to go
looking for printed manuals.
Software houses have been meeting this user need to a certain extent by providing various online Help
elements. Help is quick—and often contextual—support information displayed on the screen, commonly
at the user’s request. The words “quick” and “contextual” are key features that distinguish Help from
other support information elements.
In the real world, you still see many Help systems that are far from being helpful, and those that users
never retrieve. Why? Users are probably having trouble. In [2], Sellen and Nicol list the following
problems users have with online Help:
• DiYculty in finding the required information;
• Nonavailability of the required information;
• DiYculty in switching between Help and the task;