Problems in Navigating Online Help: Clues from User Search Patterns  

We examined qualitative data from participants' comments about difficulties they encountered in using the help systems in three versions of a popular programming language. Users' main problems were not knowing which help systems were available or being unfamiliar with them, determining when and how to use the help system, framing the search question, applying the initial search target to the help hierarchy, moving laterally to another topic, and switching between declarative and procedural topics. The lessons learned from these responses should assist help system designers and authors in supporting users' search patterns. In this paper, we will examine qualitative data from users' comments. The lessons learned from these responses should assist help system designers and authors in supporting users' search patterns.

Krull, Robert and Angela Eaton. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Documentation>Help>Search

How Help Search Should Work

Every help authoring tool seems to have a different approach to presenting search results. Offerings range from ranked results to alphabetical lists, with additional features thrown in such as the inclusion of chunks of topic text with highlighted search keywords. Each method of presenting search results offers different benefits to users. Since help tools offer mixed approaches, I feel perfectly comfortable throwing my own opinions into the mix.

Haiss, Craig. HelpScribe (2009). Articles>Documentation>Search>Help

Searching Help: Don’t Even Go There

Web site user assistance that consistently exceeds customer’s expectations can catapult your company to legendary status and create brand equity you can measure in billions of dollars. However, making Help a strategic asset for your company is an arduous task. To shed light on this important topic, I have teamed up with Tricia Clement, a renowned cognitive psychologist and Web site user assistance expert. In this month’s Search Matters column, we’ll deliver actionable insights about Web site user assistance.

Nudelman, Greg and Tricia Clement. UXmatters (2009). Articles>Documentation>Help>Search