#28905
The Anatomy of a Help File: An Iterative Approach
This article presents an approach to Help file design that focuses on creating a task-centered user experience and accommodates an iterative development strategy. This methodology allows the introduction of user assistance into early test phases--not only getting earlier validation for its accuracy, but also supporting quality assurance testing by serving as the test scripts for interactions with the user interface. This approach can also be a self-contained strategy--that is, one that allows an iterative approach to user assistance development even if the rest of product development operates on a waterfall model.
Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Documentation>Methods>Help
#30388
Authoring for Electronic Delivery 
Caterpillar is dramatically changing the way technical, product support information is authored. Book paradigms have been replaced by the more granular Information Element (IE) approach. The new integrated environment utilizes Unix based, TCP/IP connected, ECALS compliant tools on multi-tasking author workstations. Research data, in-process work approved IE's and relational indices are distributed to work group servers. Application software tools include a graphics editor and an interactive, context sensitive, SGML text editor. The environment is managed by a robust file management system that provides file tracking, revision control, workflow sensitive tool launching, burden planning and management reporting capabilities.
Hudson, Dave. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#20122
The first time you create a Windows Help file can be very confusing. This paper should help reduce confusion by explaining the basic WinHelp concepts and components, and then walking you through the procedure.
Van Sant, Carol J. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#21479
Beyond Help: Making Help a Core Component of a Performance Support System 
With the advent of HTML Help and the ability to embed Help directly inside an application, there's been an increased interest in creating Help systems that are seamlessly integrated with their host applications. By blurring the line between the application and the Help that supports it, and by developing Help that automatically responds to user actions, application developers and Help authors now have the ability to develop true electronic performance support systems.
Wexler, Steven S. ComponentOne (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#29987
Beyond Software Manuals and On-line Help: Interactive Help
Software user guides have traditionally provided assistance when the user requested help. Context-sensitivity enabled help systems to predict the most appropriate topic to present. For Windows applications, the move from Microsoft WinHelp to the new Microsoft HTML Help format allows user instructions to be presented in the same window as the application. This offers technical authors some extraordinary opportunities to provide intelligent, predictive, interactive help without the user having to request it. In this paper, we will explore one of the first such interactive help systems (for the Archivist e-mail archiving software), and see where the technology is moving.
Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2003). Articles>Documentation>Interaction Design>Help
#21505
Browse Sequence in Online Help
A browse sequence enables users to navigate through a series of help topics in the sequence established by the help author. Although often omitted from help systems, the browse sequence is useful and will become essential as print documentation diminishes. Effective design options for a browse sequence include multiple segments, rings, branching, and the use of a browse button to take the user to the first topic in the current segment of the browse sequence.
Farkas, David K. and Bruce R. Gibbs. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#20285
Building Documentation into the Interface
As documentation is more and more built directly into the interface, and as technical communicators move into interface design and usability, it is important to have a theoretical framework within which to make decisions about what kind of information will be conveyed at any moment. We can build on basic principles of cognitive psychology to help us make these decisions. We start from a question: Why should users be aware of the difference between interface and documentation when all they want is to get something done?
Quesenbery, Whitney. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>User Interface>Help
#24972
"By the Way, We Also Want Online Help"
This presentation describes a strategy to meet a last-minute enterprise demand for online help for a software application program. We established design standards for writing online help, developed a process for gaining consensus from the project team on the content of the online help, and wrote the online help. We accomplished this in less than four months-a task that originally seemed impossible.
Davis, Herbert S. and Meryl Natchez. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#19059
Cherryleaf Survey: Uptake of New Help Trends
During March and April 2003, Cherryleaf carried out an online survey into the current trends in technical communication. One of the questions we asked was: Do the online user assistance documents produced by your organization contain the following advanced capabilities?
Cherryleaf (2003). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
#22119
Choosing and Using Help Topics
This paper describes some common types of help topic and when to use each. Different applications require different mixes of help topics. Choose the topic types that are appropriate for the application you are documenting.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (1999). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#18794
Comparison of HTML Produced by Several Help Authoring Tools (HATs)
Recently, there was a lively discussion on the Help Authoring Tools and Techniques (HATT) mailing list about the relative compactness and efficiency of the HTML code produced by various Help authoring tools. As a result of these discussions, several industry consultants decided to collaborate on a project to compare the HTML, CSS, and CHM files produced by a variety of Help authoring tools.
#21385
Comparison of Online Help Formats
This article lists the basic differences between WinHelp version 4, Microsoft compiled HTML help, WebHelp and pure HTML help. Samples are available.
Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2003). Articles>Documentation>Standards>Help
#29760
Constructing a One-Stop "Answer Station" for Software Users
The web allows us to easily provide updated documentation to our users, but why stop there? There is more to making users successful quickly than just providing documentation. By creating a complete "Answer Station" that is accessible from the application or product, we can not only direct users to that updated documentation, but we can also provide information about technical support, consulting, training, sales, etc. This paper discusses writing a proposal for an Answer Station, determining content, working with other departments to gather information, designing the site, making that design work with an existing corporate website, dealing with tool issues, and finally, going live.
Bleiel, Nicoletta A. and Beth A. Williams. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
#27658
Constructing a One-Stop "Answer Station" Website for Software Users
The web allows us to easily provide updated documentation to our users, but why stop there? There is more to making users successful quickly than just providing documentation. By creating a complete 'Answer Station' that is accessible from the application or product, we can not only direct users to that updated documentation, but we can also provide information about technical support, consulting, training, sales, etc. This article discusses writing a proposal for an Answer Station, determining content, working with other departments to gather information, designing the site, making that design work with an existing corporate website, dealing with tool issues, and finally, going live.
Bleiel, Nicoletta A. and Beth A. Williams. WritersUA (2004). Articles>Documentation>Web Design>Help
#19504
Context-Sensitive Help: What Programmers and Technical Authors Need to Know
Context-sensitive Help is assistance that is appropriate to where the user is in the software application, and what they are trying to do. Carol Johnston's article describes what programmers and technical authors need to know about Context-sensitive Help.
Johnston, Carol. Cherryleaf (2003). Articles>User Interface>Help>Documentation
#27649
Creating "Smart Help" with Conditional Content
Discusses several methods for making Web-based Help systems 'smart,' by using conditional content to customize the appearance and behavior of your pages to the users' needs.
Gash, Dave. WritersUA (2005). Articles>Documentation>Help>Personalization
#21506
Creating a Hypertext Help System for a GUI-Based Client/Server Application
We are currently in the second phase of development of a large Windows online help system. This paper reviews the major decisions we had to make during the first phase of the project, and lists some project evaluation results that have helped us plan for subsequent phases.
Asher, Betsy, David E. Lasecke and John Wenstrom. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#21471
Creating Optimized Cross-Platform, Cross-Browser HTML Help Using Doc-To-Help
Microsoft’s HTML Help presents a dilemma to Help authors who wish to deploy it on web sites: Should they use the ActiveX control to provide faster, more robust functionality, or should they use the Java applet to provide wider compatibility? This article shows how you can have the best of both worlds and create one HTML Help system that will be optimized for viewers regardless of whether their browser supports ActiveX or Java.
ComponentOne (2002). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#26309
Using DocBook to Generate WebHelp
A brief tutorial on creating cross-platform WebHelp (similar to that produced by RoboHelp) using DocBook.
Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help>DocBook
#30422
Critical Elements in the Design of Help and Hypertext Systems
The demand for help and hypertext systems has created a problem for many documentation departments, particularly those in smaller companies and inexperienced in creating these forms of online documentation. The scarcity of existing literature compounds this problem. This document provides writers in small companies with limited resources some suggestions to facilitate hypertext project management, planning, design, editing, and usability testing. Also discussed is how to select a hypertext package.
Wasserman, David C. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Hypertext>Help
#24679
The Critical Role of Local Support
Adapting new equipment to your complete array of jobs, and leveraging your new investment to help your business grow and become more competitive, is part of an ongoing process that is much more important that the initial implementation. It's a process that requires an on-going partnership and several levels of support from your technology vendor-- beginning with basic maintenance and repair and optimally evolving to a true interactive partnership.
Raus, Bob. On Demand Journal (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help
#27030
Customers avoid web-based customer support if information is not relevant, out of date or hard to find. Without a business commitment to addressing these issues, customers will continue to prefer contacting a service representative by phone.
Szuc, Daniel and Gerry Gaffney. Apogee (2005). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
#20781
I'll pay $20 for a manual. I'd even pay $30-40 for a manual (grudgingly...). But $65 for a manual that should be in the damn box to begin with? Sorry... NO.
DealMac (2003). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#19830
Delivering Training and Support Using Windows Help
The Windows Help utility is familiar as a tool to provide context-sensitive and procedural help for people using a software application, but it also a highly effective tool for providing many kinds of desktop-based training and support within an organization. During this session, we look at a variety of systems built using Windows Help and explore why this was a good choice for the particular project.
Deaton, Mary M. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
#27651
Design Checklists for Online Help
Online help systems have evolved over the past 20 years to meet the needs of our users. Designers must consider the content, format, presentation, navigation, and access methods of online help systems. A series of design checklists based on the past 20 years of research are presented in this paper, which summarizes a journal article currently being considered for publication. The latest trend in online help system design is embedded user assistance, which includes integrating information into the interface and including an embedded help pane within that interface to display a context-sensitive online help system.
Corbin Nichols, Michelle. WritersUA (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
