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Online support systems help computer users achieve goals and accomplish tasks within the contexts of their primary work. Although this definition is extremely
broad and includes a wide range of digital forms—from low-end interface elements
to high-end hypermedia applications, in this chapter we generally focus on
planning, designing, and testing mid-range systems: tutorials, documentation, and
help, regardless of their virtual instantiation. We discuss electronic rather than
print-based forms because organizations increasingly deliver user support online for
a variety of reasons: to reduce development and production costs; to anticipate
distributed computing systems and other environments in which users rarely have
easy access to print-based materials; and to benefit from the sophisticated searching
and interactive capabilities that online environments can provide. In cases where
print-based support is still necessary (for example, in packing instructions and in
some troubleshooting areas), processes for constructing these documents can be
extrapolated from the discussion that follows.
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Online Support Systems: Tutorials, Documentation, and Help
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Selber, Stuart A., Johndan Johnson-Eilola and Brad Mehlenbacher
North Carolina State University
1997
Abstract: Online support systems help computer users achieve goals and accomplish tasks within the contexts of their primary work. Although this definition is extremely
broad and includes a wide range of digital forms—from low-end interface elements
to high-end hypermedia applications, in this chapter we generally focus on
planning, designing, and testing mid-range systems: tutorials, documentation, and
help, regardless of their virtual instantiation. We discuss electronic rather than
print-based forms because organizations increasingly deliver user support online for
a variety of reasons: to reduce development and production costs; to anticipate
distributed computing systems and other environments in which users rarely have
easy access to print-based materials; and to benefit from the sophisticated searching
and interactive capabilities that online environments can provide. In cases where
print-based support is still necessary (for example, in packing instructions and in
some troubleshooting areas), processes for constructing these documents can be
extrapolated from the discussion that follows.
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