http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Documentation/Online A listing of the most recently indexed works about Articles and Documentation and Online in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Articles/Documentation/Online http://tc.eserver.org/35642.html http://tc.eserver.org/35642.html If you've installed older software in Windows 7, you might notice that .hlp-formatted Help files aren't recognized or supported. Microsoft offers a free download to read and manage those WinHelp files. http://tc.eserver.org/35419.html http://tc.eserver.org/35419.html I honestly can't remember the last time I picked up a user manual, an honest-to-god paper book of technical documentation. Actually that's a lie, it was just last week when i was tidying up. I picked up several user manuals and moved them to a lower shelf on my bookcase. So why do we still maintain a traditional view of how information should be provided? http://tc.eserver.org/34889.html http://tc.eserver.org/34889.html Lately I’ve been creating context-sensitive help for an online application. As part of my strategy, I’ve been trying to follow Theresa Putkey’s advice in “Usability in Context-Sensitive Help.” In her article, Theresa recommends providing more than just the steps for a specific task in the context-sensitive help window. Instead, she says to show more contextual links, including answers to why, when, and who questions, because too frequently the user who searches for help may have needs outside the specific task you describe. http://tc.eserver.org/34714.html http://tc.eserver.org/34714.html Embedded user assistance is only part of a complete documentation plan. It does not replace the need for other types of content. For example, embedded user assistance is not a good delivery mechanism for comprehensive concepts and detailed discussions of a topic with strategy and best practice guidelines. However, with a strong design, embedded user assistance can support the immediate needs of the user and provide a valuable, contextual link that steers the user into the other parts of the documentation as needed. http://tc.eserver.org/33634.html http://tc.eserver.org/33634.html As broadband Internet access becomes increasingly available, software providers are minimizing the local installation of help topics and instead moving some or all help to Web servers. While this approach may alienate users who have no Internet connection or lack broadband access, there are many advantages. Web servers offer features and options that aren't available with locally installed help. http://tc.eserver.org/33600.html http://tc.eserver.org/33600.html Last month, Forrester Research released results from a survey on how much consumers trust different sources for information. They didn't include online Help or knowledge bases in the survey, so we don't know how well or badly they would have come out in the survey. http://tc.eserver.org/33523.html http://tc.eserver.org/33523.html Knowing HTML alone is not enough to create HTML Help. What deliverables does the client need? CHMs (HTML Help)? Web-based Help (HTML files + other things that create the Toc, Index, Search tabs etc.)? Java Help? Oracle Help? Be aware of the limitations of some formats. http://tc.eserver.org/33335.html http://tc.eserver.org/33335.html Software documentation such as Help systems and user guides may be the best method of helping your customers to use your software effectively. However, one or more of these alternatives may be a better solution. http://tc.eserver.org/33336.html http://tc.eserver.org/33336.html Documentation sometimes contains a section titled, 'Frequently asked questions' or 'FAQs'. The TechScribe website used to have a page of FAQs, but better options exist, and therefore, we removed the FAQs. http://tc.eserver.org/33339.html http://tc.eserver.org/33339.html This article explains the relative merits of paper and online documentation from a usability perspective. First, we look at the different types of user. Then we look at typical paper documentation and online documentation with respect to these user types. Finally, we present the relative merits of paper and online documentation for different user types. http://tc.eserver.org/33159.html http://tc.eserver.org/33159.html Overview topics play an important role in creating a positive user assistance experience. Unlike procedures, which deliver critical information on how to solve a problem quickly, overview topics fill in the conceptual details and background "story." Here are some tips for writing thorough and informative overviews. http://tc.eserver.org/32979.html http://tc.eserver.org/32979.html Whilst applications are becoming more complex, many people believe that online user assistance hasn't changed much since WinHelp was introduced with Windows 3. This is a misconception. There have been many developments in this field aimed at increasing end-user productivity and satisfaction. http://tc.eserver.org/32980.html http://tc.eserver.org/32980.html Just as a romantic poet might choose to pen an ode to a single rose as opposed to the entire garden, perhaps we should look to the simplest elements of usability for inspiration. Perhaps it’s time to recognize the contribution of a single humble helper. Yes, it’s time for an ode to Balloon Help. You may smile, but it can be argued that Balloon Help is not only one of the most ubiquitous implementations of modern technological performance support but it is also one of the most underappreciated. http://tc.eserver.org/32693.html http://tc.eserver.org/32693.html So, the mandate has come down from senior management to "put those manuals online!" Now what do you do? As you know, there are many types of online manuals—but which is best for your situation? This article discusses the options. http://tc.eserver.org/31991.html http://tc.eserver.org/31991.html Writing software manuals is boring, isn't it? We often think, "My software is easy to use. The user interface is intuitive. Why should I waste so much time writing documentation which nobody will read anyway?" Sometimes it's true. I've never read the WinZip or Internet Explorer manuals. Everything seems clear enough without further explanation. Nevertheless, even if your manual isn't being helpful to your software users, it may be helpful to you. Publish your manual online and turn its hidden power into a real benefit for your business. http://tc.eserver.org/31990.html http://tc.eserver.org/31990.html Are you still wondering which help file format to use for your Windows software? The selection depends on your software and on the information that is in your help files. Each help file format has its own unique features that may be useful in certain situations. http://tc.eserver.org/31988.html http://tc.eserver.org/31988.html There are several main reasons why putting your software manual on-line is necessary. It makes your web-site attractive for search engine crawlers and therefore brings you targeted traffic from Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and other search engines. A good online manual presents your product as serious and credible. Moreover, if a user faces difficulty using your software and asks for technical support, you may easily resolve the issue by referring that user to a certain page of your online help. Simply give the page's URL. With just one click the user will see screenshots and explanations which will help them to resolve the issue. http://tc.eserver.org/31144.html http://tc.eserver.org/31144.html I would argue that 'Presentation Zen' contains ideas that are also relevant to technical communication. http://tc.eserver.org/30812.html http://tc.eserver.org/30812.html If you are delivering your help from a network location and you notice that .CHM files don't work anymore, don't be surprised. Recent Microsoft updates include tighter security for .CHM files. After installing the updates you can no longer run .CHM files from a network location. However, you can still run a .CHM file on your local machine. http://tc.eserver.org/30620.html http://tc.eserver.org/30620.html How can writers enhance their visual literacy in order to create effective online documentation? By partnering multimedia production expertise with technical writing expertise, DVS Communications and Bell-Northern Research (BNR) have co-developed an introductory course 'Words into Pictures' that stimulates visual thinking capabilities. This paper describes the main components of the course and illustrates its contribution to the success of BNR's online information system CADHELP. http://tc.eserver.org/30573.html http://tc.eserver.org/30573.html The design team for a major new product approached our publications group about ideas on developing an online manual and/or online help. Together, we developed a task-oriented, easy-to-use online help system, and continue to work together to evaluate it. Where do we best put the buttons that access the help for various subsystems? http://tc.eserver.org/30571.html http://tc.eserver.org/30571.html Producing online documentation requires a new view of a technical communicator's roles, skills, and responsibilities. http://tc.eserver.org/30543.html http://tc.eserver.org/30543.html The field of technical documentation is rapidly evolving from the production of printed manuals to online documentation. In the future, technical writers will become interface designers, as teams of writers and engineers produce user interfaces that require less documentation. The documentation, in fact, will become part of the software product. As we move in this direction, writers are attempting to produce online documentation that blends seamlessly with the software. http://tc.eserver.org/30499.html http://tc.eserver.org/30499.html In the PC products market, customers insist on excellent support at rock-bottom prices. The traditional model of customer support, having a phone technician answer customer questions, is becoming too expensive. http://tc.eserver.org/30513.html http://tc.eserver.org/30513.html Knowledge Ware successfully transferred existing paper-based documentation to an online format for the latest release of its Application Development Workbench(R) (ADW(R)) software. The online documentation solution, which runs under IBM's OS/2 operating system, was created using a series of macros developed in Microsoft Word 5.0. Using this strategy enabled Knowledge Ware to develop quickly an online system that met customer needs for information support. The system also enabled their technical writers to create both paper-based and online documentation using the same set of word-processed files. http://tc.eserver.org/30430.html http://tc.eserver.org/30430.html One of the biggest problems facing Help developers is that of providing users with adequate methods of navigation through what can be huge amounts of information. After more than a two or three jumps, users can find themselves in topics that might be useful, but with no clear indication of how they got there or how to return to where they started. OS/2 gives the Help developer extraordinarily flexible tools for creating online documentation that can prevent this situation and provide users with a clearer path through online information than many other platforms can provide. However, this enhanced usability is not without its cost. http://tc.eserver.org/30385.html http://tc.eserver.org/30385.html A person usually expects another person to behave according to accepted norms, but how does a person respond to a message that violates his/her expectations? One theory dealing with violations of expectations is Burgeon and Hale's (1) nonverbal expectancy-violations theory. This theory posits that, under certain circumstances, violations of social norms and expectations may be an effective strategy for communicators to achieve the intended communication purpose. Although the expectancy-violations theory focuses on expectations for nonverbal behavior, such as gaze and conversational distance (2), I believe that this theory can also apply to expectations for humancomputer interaction. http://tc.eserver.org/30388.html http://tc.eserver.org/30388.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/30395.html http://tc.eserver.org/30395.html A panel of industry experts provides an overview of the CD-ROM publishing process--and its business issues--for technical communicators who are responsible for John Gale implementing CD-ROM publishing in their organizations. The panelists will discuss how to gain the benefits of reduced manufacturing warehousing and distribution costs, without degrading documentation quality. http://tc.eserver.org/30396.html http://tc.eserver.org/30396.html There are many significant benefits to releasing documentation on CD ROM rather than on hardcopy including cost savings, storage capacity, and the ability to implement search and retrieval functionality. To determine whether or not you should go to CD ROM, it is advisable to survey your users and to get approval from the folks in "corporate." Once you decide to pursue CD ROM, you need to determine the platform requirements and feature set of the search and retrieval software. You will then be able to choose from a variety of products, and ask the selected vendor to produce a prototype for you. http://tc.eserver.org/30401.html http://tc.eserver.org/30401.html COMPAQ QuickFind is a CD-ROM database of COMPAQ product information. Available by subscription, QuickFind offers full-text search-and-retrieval functions and full-color graphics in a 350-megabyte database. QuickFind incorporates hard-copy information into an electronic format. The QuickFind editorial process (converting hard- copy information to searchable files) is the key to creating a valuable, centralized support tool for COMPAQ dealers, customers, and internal personnel. http://tc.eserver.org/30247.html http://tc.eserver.org/30247.html Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is the tagging language you use to tag, compile, and debug online information in an OS/2 environment. This workshop This part of the workshop looks at using error log files to examines how to use IPF, provides code samples, and points participants to reference material. http://tc.eserver.org/30136.html http://tc.eserver.org/30136.html If you are a technical writer or manage technical writers and have been asked to document Lotus Notes applications, this workshop will give you a jump start. You can use the features available in Notes to create an effective help system as a Notes database. This help database can either be a view in an existing Notes application or a stand-alone database linked to the application. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of creating help systems in Lotus Notes. http://tc.eserver.org/30139.html http://tc.eserver.org/30139.html Most of us struggle every day with keeping the lines of communication open between developers, subject matter experts (SMEs), customers, and writers. Sometimes you can circumvent these difficulties by simply walking upstairs or across the hall and chatting with the appropriate person. But what happens when it's not a staircase or hallway separating you but a very large ocean? The best way to keep an overseas project on track is to put together a writing team in the most convenient location; meet at least once with the development team; and set up your communication channels early. http://tc.eserver.org/30079.html http://tc.eserver.org/30079.html 'Moving to Electronic Delivery of Documentation' includes information about the fundamentals of electronic documentation, case studies, what to expect, how to research, identify, and implement a process for moving from an exclusively hard copy documentation development and delivery process to electronic documentation development and delivery. http://tc.eserver.org/29988.html http://tc.eserver.org/29988.html There are still many circumstances when drawing a user's attention to changed text is important. How do we do that with Help systems? By borrowing techniques from paper manuals, we don't have to reinvent the wheel. So here's a good approach that will work for Microsoft Word-based HATs. http://tc.eserver.org/29992.html http://tc.eserver.org/29992.html Microsoft HTML Help is actually a suite of technologies. CHM is one part; the HH viewer (a cut-down Internet Explorer with CHM processing abilities) is another. To provide a Table of Contents (TOC) and index for Web-based Help (over HTTP), to support Web applications for example, there are two other Microsoft HTML Help components. One is an ActiveX TOC control, and the other is a Java TOC applet. While these components provide Web-based Help with a TOC, they do not allow context-sensitivity AND a TOC at the same time, because the TOC displays in a frameset. http://tc.eserver.org/29926.html http://tc.eserver.org/29926.html Two questions any writer must deal with are: 'What do I write about?' and 'How much do I say about it?' Essentially, these questions deal with the scope and the depth of a document. Technical communicators have a tendency to want to document a topic as completely as possible, and we carry this instinct with us when we architect and write Help files. In this column, I challenge that prevalent instinct and offer an alternative way of thinking about the scope and depth requirements of Help systems. The benefits of this approach are, I hope, better Help for users and, for our clients and employers, a more efficient use of technical communicators' time. First, I'll discuss three principles that underpin my perspective, then I'll give some practical advice about writing Help that people will actually use. http://tc.eserver.org/29903.html http://tc.eserver.org/29903.html This panel discussion will explore a specific project conducted by the Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) in which existing MERC-designed United States Air Force print-based training was rapidly converted to web-based training. Specific issues discussed are differences in design strategies for print and web instruction, development and authoring approaches, rapid prototyping, usability testing, project management concerns, and lessons learned. http://tc.eserver.org/29797.html http://tc.eserver.org/29797.html Some might not think that converting FrameMaker content into online help and user documentation would involve taking risks. In this article, we tell our story of what risks were involved with one of my recent projects, how we overcame them, and what benefits we reaped by using state-of-the-art technology. http://tc.eserver.org/29760.html http://tc.eserver.org/29760.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/29764.html http://tc.eserver.org/29764.html Collections of technical documentation vary in their delivery media, file format, user interface and degree of integration of the component documents or information. This paper looks at definitions and attributes of collections before reviewing the development of book- based, customized CD collections in a company operating in a fast-changing industry. Issues arising from this case study are explored and findings are used to identify a broad categorization of collections and build a starting point check list for collection design. Major issues in collection building are summarized. http://tc.eserver.org/29867.html http://tc.eserver.org/29867.html 'Memory requests for some applications may be denied.' 'Error 404: File not found.' 'Invalid entry. Check your info and resubmit.' 'Fatal error. Procedure aborted.' It's often easy to identify what kinds of error messages don't help users, but it can be tricky to avoid them, and even more of a challenge to create the opposite: error messages that give users a clear indication of the problem, offer information to help them fix it, and provide tips on how to avoid the same situation in the future. This paper details the steps involved in creating understandable, helpful error messages, and suggests ways of communicating the value of good error messages to managers and executives. http://tc.eserver.org/30289.html http://tc.eserver.org/30289.html Online documentation often seems to be a panacea for our difficulties in providing usable documentation. Scholars and practitioners alike provide a steady stream of new ways to apply, structure, categorize, choose, and develop online documentation. However, empirical evidence, either for or against many of these ideas, is still lacking, leaving us guessing about which concepts will truly help our users and which will be technical communication's Edsels. Recent studies show conflicting information about the key usability factors in online documentation, but do offer some hints of where to begin. This article will help technical communica- tors apply theory by summarizing recent empirical studies about online documentation usability. http://tc.eserver.org/28178.html http://tc.eserver.org/28178.html As technical writers, we work more online than ever before. We are beginning to work with documentation in a new way, so that we can repurpose content and free it from the restrictions imposed by any particular delivery mechanism. We no longer solely create paper-publishable documents. We do not, as yet, have a good word for what we do; we do not have a single word or phrase that summarizes the effort or the deliverables. Nor can we use any single existing lexicon because the concepts are new. This difficulty is a natural consequence of the inter-networked world in which we work, where information is delivered multiple ways for diverse audiences. But let us look at the phrases currently growing in popular usage that refer to this effort. http://tc.eserver.org/28173.html http://tc.eserver.org/28173.html It is commonplace to find information through the Web, but the use of the Web for technical communication is still uncommon. What the competition entries made me realize is that in this networked world, the places where we find information are no longer one or two dimensional. Communication is no longer simply about words on a page (or on a screen). Technical information is now accessed through a multidimensional cyberspace. http://tc.eserver.org/28028.html http://tc.eserver.org/28028.html MAML is part of a new approach to help in Windows Vista. This approach is both more integrated with the software and more focused on user tasks. MAML provides a structre in which you can write user assistance information, which can then be presented to the user in a variety of locations. http://tc.eserver.org/27984.html http://tc.eserver.org/27984.html Surveys or questions posed to users may not be entirely useful when determining whether a user's experience with the help feature was successful or not. The author provides instructions on implementing a tool that will provide this kind of feedback. http://tc.eserver.org/27651.html http://tc.eserver.org/27651.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/27654.html http://tc.eserver.org/27654.html It's often easy to identify what kinds of error messages don't help users, but it can be tricky to avoid them, and even more of a challenge to create the opposite: error messages that give users a clear indication of the problem, offer information to help them fix it, and provide tips on how to avoid the same situation in the future. This paper details the steps involved in creating understandable, helpful error messages, and suggests ways of communicating the value of good error messages to managers and executives. http://tc.eserver.org/27642.html http://tc.eserver.org/27642.html The largest problem our participants had in using the help system wasn't in processing the procedural information in the help, but rather finding the correct help topic, a topic generally unaddressed in the literature on how to write a help system. Specifically, participants had difficulty in searching for topics because their terminology differed from the terminology used by the help system, and they became lost in the unclear structure of the system. http://tc.eserver.org/27650.html http://tc.eserver.org/27650.html This article provides an overview of the latest trends in software user assistance based on surveys, interviews, and observations by the author and other experienced user assistance professionals. The article defines the key terminology, highlights the most important issues and elements, and offers both short and long-term predictions for the field. The article will appear in four installments. The next installment will be in February. http://tc.eserver.org/27084.html http://tc.eserver.org/27084.html This article looks at a methodology for developing a software user assistance (UA) system in a structured manner. The software UA system could have both paper-based user manuals and online help systems. http://tc.eserver.org/27030.html http://tc.eserver.org/27030.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/26466.html http://tc.eserver.org/26466.html Information Layering is not new, but it has acquired a new dimension through modern technical and interactive possibilities. Even as of now, this technique can be used to make HTML-help considerably more user friendly. http://tc.eserver.org/25870.html http://tc.eserver.org/25870.html In order to make a help system really helpful, you need to provide an effective index. But many online help writers face two dilemmas when it's time to index their help systems: How to prepare a useful index that meets the users' needs and how to code the keywords to make the index compile correctly. This article provides tips to help writers solve both problems. http://tc.eserver.org/25053.html http://tc.eserver.org/25053.html The proliferation of open systems and software that runs on multiple platforms is a challenge to those of us who are responsible for documenting these systems. This paper attempts to address the issues that arise when trying to create multiplatform information sets. Writing multiplatform documentation is a challenge not only for those responsible for documentation, but for those responsible for creating the software. You are starting with many pieces of a puzzle that you need to sort through and put together to create a usable information set. http://tc.eserver.org/24972.html http://tc.eserver.org/24972.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/24923.html http://tc.eserver.org/24923.html Will the long-predicted demise of paper ever come true? Discusses the effects of the Web on documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/24925.html http://tc.eserver.org/24925.html Calls on technical communicators to suggest a new term for modular documentation accessible via a tri-pane interface. http://tc.eserver.org/24912.html http://tc.eserver.org/24912.html Cisco Systems, Inc., releases a CD-ROM volume each month that contains documentation for all versions of products currently in use. Cisco spent 8 months preparing for the release of the first CD Regular monthly releases require adherence to a strict schedule of incorporating errata and enhancements into online manuals, placing new and revised books into a CD database, resolving problems that occur during the build, and testing that all books are in their proper locations. This process has affected how managers schedule documents so that they are included on the CD that is current when a product ships. It has also changed the roles of the writers and editors, who must now manipulate files in the CD database and incorporate errata and enhancements into both paper and online documents. http://tc.eserver.org/24841.html http://tc.eserver.org/24841.html The Knowledge Products group at Cisco Systems, Inc., provides online help for both PC and UNIX-based applications. The online help team for the Cisco Works for Windows product comprised of five writers who coordinated the online help development efforts. The online help team worked closely to produce an integrated help system that was modularized for better process control. http://tc.eserver.org/24803.html http://tc.eserver.org/24803.html Providing timely information to diverse users on different platforms can challenge any document delivery system; however, the World Wide Web provides an effective solution for some applications. While the Web presents some extra problems and challenges that other media do not, the results justify the resources required. This paper describes and evaluates an implementation of Computing and Information Services documentation on the World Wide Web. http://tc.eserver.org/24798.html http://tc.eserver.org/24798.html An industry-wide design standard for help systems does not exist. To develop a flexible and usable help system for our workstation-based product, we have evolved and changed our help system design. Over a five-year period our help system was influenced by several factors: http://tc.eserver.org/24805.html http://tc.eserver.org/24805.html Users complain that there is too much information in help. We will explore ways to move beyond help and provide users with the types of support they really need: re-using information on commercial information services such as CompuServe or America Online, on the Internet, and on dial-up phone and fax services. Making application interfaces self-documenting. Providing information in overlaid notes, cue cards, and wizards. http://tc.eserver.org/24804.html http://tc.eserver.org/24804.html World Wide Web can often help both technical communicators and their audiences; however, this new vehicle for delivering information is not a panacea for all situations. This panel presents several different perspectives on providing documentation through the World Wide Web. http://tc.eserver.org/24802.html http://tc.eserver.org/24802.html The World Wide Web is a global network that supports a hypertext protocol and is built on top of the Internet. Vendors can now supply a single source of hyperlinked documentation for their products for customer use. The advantages would be document control, faster revision, and automatic feedback. The problems are network reliability, hardware limitations, and lack of support for the unnetworked user. http://tc.eserver.org/24801.html http://tc.eserver.org/24801.html How do you create an effective online help system and efficiently manage the project? This paper will cover some basics of practical online help design and project management. The presentation includes examples from a project we worked on. http://tc.eserver.org/24766.html http://tc.eserver.org/24766.html Two main forces affect a Help project: absurd deadlines and a complex web of hypertext files. Those responsible for managing such projects often ask: How do I gain control of all these forces? When do I need to start the project? How do I gauge its progress? Our demonstration will show how to successfully manage a Help project. We will illustrate how WordPerfect Domestic Documentation Services solves management problems using a timeline, checklist, and tracking database. http://tc.eserver.org/24729.html http://tc.eserver.org/24729.html In the eras of Windows 3.x and earlier versions of Windows 95, the only help system people worked with or even knew about was WinHelp. Problems started with the transition to Windows 95, when developers and users alike had to learn to deal with WinHelp 4.0's separate dialog with the Contents, Index, and Find tabs. http://tc.eserver.org/24711.html http://tc.eserver.org/24711.html Challenges abound when a documentation team is based in two countries, works with software developers in four countries, and produces documentation for use by engineers in many countries. Differences in language usage, cultural perspectives, time zones, holiday schedules, and educational backgrounds are only a few of the difficulties to overcome. http://tc.eserver.org/24694.html http://tc.eserver.org/24694.html In this age of information, advanced technology gives us access to more than ever imagined. Are people easily moving toward gathering information online instead of from paper? This study investigated novice and expert user access of paper versus online documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/24702.html http://tc.eserver.org/24702.html The initial development of an online documentation system can be overwhelming. Before starting development, though, you should address some or all of the issues documented here: assessment of “as-is” documentation (if it exists), audience requirements and skills, assessment of best delivery method for your information / audience needs, tool selection, development methodology, content organization, look and feel of online documentation, and your development team’s skills. This checklist is a subset of a presentation that covers a proven methodology for developing a hypertext reference system. You can use this checklist as a starting point for your first project. http://tc.eserver.org/24659.html http://tc.eserver.org/24659.html Although online help (either task-based or UI-centric) and API reference documents serve different purposes, there are times when you may want to at least create associations between the two or at most merge them into one system. http://tc.eserver.org/24655.html http://tc.eserver.org/24655.html Advances have been made to provide that information online to the point where electronic access to the information involves nothing more futuristic than a laptop computer and access to a database. http://tc.eserver.org/24658.html http://tc.eserver.org/24658.html Just as clothing styles change, and fall's fashion is different from summer's, so Microsoft presents it's new fall's fashion of online help to a fashion-consious entourage of software companies always eager to follow Microsoft's lead. http://tc.eserver.org/24608.html http://tc.eserver.org/24608.html Kiosk design is an inevitable extension of the development of online documentation. Technical communicators are now frequently being asked by their employers to create such forms of communication. They must learn about kiosks from the new perspectives of their evolving technologies, applications, audience reactions, social contexts, and information design. Finally, technical communicators must begin to view kiosks as an emerging new genre that requires both analysis and creativity. http://tc.eserver.org/24510.html http://tc.eserver.org/24510.html With planning, an understanding of organizational devices such as expandable tables of contents, secondary help windows, and graphical navigational aids, you can make your help system easier to use, more attractive, and more useful. http://tc.eserver.org/24438.html http://tc.eserver.org/24438.html Watergate, White Water- Gate, and now Tutorial-Gate—an exposure of techniques used for creating online tutorials for software systems. Learn to do the job right: (1) write a plan, (2) team up, (3) steal an interface design, (4) select a development tool, (5) keep the script simple, (6) build a prototype (7) add interactivity, (8) fix problems, (9) enjoy! http://tc.eserver.org/24430.html http://tc.eserver.org/24430.html The basic requirements for creating accurate and useful technical documentation are good writing skills, an understanding of the audience, knowledge of the tools used for producing documentation, ability to use the product, and ability to successfully interview subject matter experts. While the same skills are essential for creating an online help system, writers also need to understand how help projects are set up, how to modify their writing to produce modular help topics, how to test the program-to-help links between the product and the help topics, and how to align help file development with engineering build dates. In addition, writers expand their hypertext awareness to include new terms such us jumps and pop-ups. http://tc.eserver.org/24415.html http://tc.eserver.org/24415.html This workshop provides hands-on experience in preparing and using online documentation as well as setting up and maintaining an online library. http://tc.eserver.org/24410.html http://tc.eserver.org/24410.html IDX Systems launched two separate HTML-based help authoring efforts simultaneously. The results were two very different HTML-based help solutions. One solution emphasized thorough and complete information while compromising accessibility. The other solution emphasized accessibility while compromising thoroughness and completeness. In both cases, the compromises were forced by the limitations of current web technologies. The two writing efforts have now been merged into one solution that uses HTML, database technology, and Active Server Pages. http://tc.eserver.org/24408.html http://tc.eserver.org/24408.html Multimedia is commonplace in entertainment and the Internet is proliferating the use of multimedia in electronic materials. Online documentation has traditionally been composed of text and some graphics. The proliferation of Intranets and online documentation is pushing the acceptance of multimedia in reference and procedural materials like Help. However, there is little research on the value of multimedia in online documentation nor its effective use.This paper describes an exploratory study done for a Master of Information Science thesis to determine the impact of multimedia on online documentation. http://tc.eserver.org/24407.html http://tc.eserver.org/24407.html Technical communicators are facing a revolution in how we develop online help for software applications. No where is this more apparent than in the development of help systems for applications written in Java. Sun Microsystems, Inc., expects to roll out JavaHelp in the early part of 1998. Until JavaHelp arrives, technical communicators will have to find creative ways to implement HTML help systems for Java applications. The best news is that we have some standards to follow, like HTML, and some methods for browsing HTML help today. The key is to develop scalable help systems designed with the future in mind. This paper discusses some ways you can create HTML help content that works with your applications today and tomorrow. http://tc.eserver.org/24326.html http://tc.eserver.org/24326.html We have all heard the terms, ‘telecommuting,’ ‘groupware,’ and intra- or internet at one time or another. However, the best designed information retrieval system is useless if you cannot get on-line to use it. Most companies are taking advantage of technology, and publishing their policies and procedures on their own intranet or Local Area Network. Unfortunately, some organizations with field offices, off-site agents or consultants, even executives on travel are not always ‘plugged-in’ to this information. There is a way to make dynamic information available to enterprises without internet accessibility or LAN/WAN connections. What follows is one solution to the quest for getting ‘plugged in’ and taking advantage of dynamic data exchange. http://tc.eserver.org/24320.html http://tc.eserver.org/24320.html This paper describes an online documentation delivery and feedback solution developed to meet the needs of a fast-paced project in which designers, developers, marketing specialists, technical writers, and beta-test customer sites were located all over the world. During the development of the IBM Health Data Network, we needed a way to provide drafts of the product documentation to all of the developers, reviewers, and users on a real-time basis. We also needed a way to get input and updates from the developers, and feedback from the people in the field who were working with beta versions of the new system. This paper describes how we set up a Web-based solution to meet these needs. http://tc.eserver.org/24307.html http://tc.eserver.org/24307.html How do customers expect to access online Help? Once in the Help system, how do they expect to navigate toward the information they need? In the absence of detailed research that tells us what customers know about getting and using online Help, we can look for clues in the marketplace. A survey of the Help systems in more than sixty Windows 95 applications (including those in the major suites from Corel, Lotus, and Microsoft) shows some clear trends. These trends can help us understand what customers are coming to expect from online Help based on their experience with other Windows 95 applications. http://tc.eserver.org/24290.html http://tc.eserver.org/24290.html As a consultant I get called in after the wreck to figure out what went wrong. Across a wide range of industries and products, the same problems recur again and again. In this presentation, I’ll show you what these common problems are and simple ways to avoid them. http://tc.eserver.org/24274.html http://tc.eserver.org/24274.html In the transition to online documentation, one of the communicator’s most effective tools can be a hardcopy document. Providing your users with a printed manual that introduces them to your product and your online documentation might be just the thing they need to get started using both. To create an effective hardcopy document, you must begin by gathering feedback, analyzing your audience, and setting your goals. You can then use that information to determine what to include, what to exclude, and what to call your hardcopy document. http://tc.eserver.org/24258.html http://tc.eserver.org/24258.html If everything on the desktop was proceeding as planned, nobody would ever press F1. But people do press F1--a lot-- and it’s our job to give them the information they need when they need it. This paper suggests design strategies, organizational strategies, and writing tips that can help make the information in your WinHelp files more accessible. http://tc.eserver.org/24212.html http://tc.eserver.org/24212.html There are many roles involved in developing a successful online help project. Understanding the relationship between these roles can increase everyone's awareness of the requirements and tasks necessary for a successful project. In many projects, individuals fill more than one role, moving between roles as needed. http://tc.eserver.org/24074.html http://tc.eserver.org/24074.html Basic steps to developing successful online help include content planning based on available resources and user needs, use of a style guide, effective design and access, prototype development, usability studies, and being open to changes. Defining “quality” as “customer satisfaction” we can place the online help development process into the context of a continuous quality process model that focuses on meeting customer needs. This quality process includes identifying output, identifying customer and customer requirements, converting requirements into processes, measuring the output, and evaluating results. http://tc.eserver.org/23800.html http://tc.eserver.org/23800.html Designing and developing an embedded help solution involves several stages. A successful solution starts with identifying user wants and needs. As you sort through these needs, identify common threads and design a solution that addresses these common threads. Consistency, flexibility, and experimentation are keys to developing a successful solution. Your design should be intuitive to use, and should provide users with the options they need. As you design your solution, consider your develop and maintenance requirements. You want the time you invest in the first version of your solution to pay off for future releases. http://tc.eserver.org/23739.html http://tc.eserver.org/23739.html With new tools and technologies available, more companies are choosing to move from paper-based documentation to electronic documentation. Being a pioneer is an exciting – and daunting – experience. In moving from paper-based to electronic documentation, you may be treading on a path never before explored for your product or your company. There are many decisions to make and many plans to develop, abandon, and develop again. Special attention is required in the areas of project management, writing and illustration, documentation design, and configuration management. A team that has experienced a paper-to-electronic documentation project can offer valuable advice if you are facing a groundbreaking project. http://tc.eserver.org/23744.html http://tc.eserver.org/23744.html Our company posts user documents on its Internet web site as PDF files. Announcements are sent to customers and company staff to inform them of the latest document updates. Customers log on a password- protected documentation page, where they can view the documents in a Reader or save them to their PC hard drives. There are several advantages to distributing documents in PDF on the Internet for both customers and our company. http://tc.eserver.org/23733.html http://tc.eserver.org/23733.html This paper reviews research done in online help information, analyses different views on it from the perspectives of professionals of technical communication and end-users, and suggests ways to solve problems. http://tc.eserver.org/23727.html http://tc.eserver.org/23727.html Resources relating to user guides and online help systems. http://tc.eserver.org/23661.html http://tc.eserver.org/23661.html Online help systems have evolved over the past twenty 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. http://tc.eserver.org/23597.html http://tc.eserver.org/23597.html A panel of industry experts provides an overview of the CD-ROM publishing process—and its business issues–for technical communicators who are responsible for implementing CD-ROM publishing in their organizations. The panelists will discuss how to gain the benefits of reduced manufacturing warehousing and distribution costs, without degrading documentation quality. http://tc.eserver.org/23580.html http://tc.eserver.org/23580.html Producing documentation on CD-ROM can be extremely beneficial to users and can also save your company a lot of money over hard copy costs. To assure a successful roll-out of your CD product, it is critical to consider the involvement of key departments in your company as you plan the implementation in your user community. The two processes are closely related, and a well-integrated internal plan will help assure a successful introduction to your customers. http://tc.eserver.org/23581.html http://tc.eserver.org/23581.html The authors suggest a 10-step process for planning, tracking, and completing an online documentation project. http://tc.eserver.org/23422.html http://tc.eserver.org/23422.html Big producers of equipment and systems of all branches often have piled up enormous volumes of product documentation in various formats on different media over long periods. How does one deal with that in the Internet age? How will brochure-like product catalogs be converted to type-specific clickable web pages, and printed price lists to present-day worldwide retrievable tables? Experiences with a large converting project show the process to achieve such document management. http://tc.eserver.org/22914.html http://tc.eserver.org/22914.html This teaching hospital in Texas has successfully implemented an online reference system that allows access to nearly 14,000 employees in more than 20 cities. A cross-functional project team was formed to address the needfor immediate access to current policies and procedures across the entire enterprise. This team researched, developed, and implemented an effective and successful system that was also easy to learn and use. http://tc.eserver.org/22918.html http://tc.eserver.org/22918.html The panelists provide examples of standards for visuals that reduce text and increase access in online Help. They briefly cover how these visuals solve problems for both customers and Help designers, and they discuss standards for two of the visuals selected for the session. Audience ranking determines the order of the remaining visuals. In covering the visuals, the panelists use examples from Help for highly sophisticated engineering, applications whose users have varying levels of experience and comfort with computer software. The panelists also provide checklists for developing standards, including standards for how information should look and, more importantly, work. http://tc.eserver.org/22860.html http://tc.eserver.org/22860.html Maximizing Windows Help is more than just converting printed documentation to Help. Help users want easy access to information so that they can complete their tasks expeditiously. A Help topic should contain information that adresses one subject, has one objective, and answers one question. To maximize Windows Help, chunk information and use hyperlinks. The use of macros can enhance how information is accessed. http://tc.eserver.org/22862.html http://tc.eserver.org/22862.html A wealth of opinions and conventions are available on designing and writing good online documentation. This paper compiles many of these guidelines into one central list for easy reference. The session will discuss reasons for the guidelines as well as provide references for further research on areas of interest. http://tc.eserver.org/22861.html http://tc.eserver.org/22861.html Designing an effective online documentation strategy involves considering both the needs of the user and the needs of the business for which the documentation is being developed. This paper examines how Dell Computer Corporation devised a separate online documentation strategy for each of its four business lines based on the target customer and particular objectives of each business. http://tc.eserver.org/22852.html http://tc.eserver.org/22852.html With the advent of the World Wide Web (WWW), HTML has become a viable way of putting information online. But, is it always the best way? For interactive multimedia presentations, HTML is not always the best choice. You have to consider the need for platform-specific file formats, the limits of Web browsers, and the lack of comprehensive Web-authoring environments. However, for online documentation and help, HTML is often a good choice. HTML converters help produce usable online documents, and HTML-based help systems provide similar features to those found in WinHelp. http://tc.eserver.org/22853.html http://tc.eserver.org/22853.html The document you have been writing and editing has finally been approved and is ready to be printed and distributed. Copies will go to selected people in your headquarters, to all offices your company operates and to your customers, all of whom have Internet capability. But should it be printed? http://tc.eserver.org/22847.html http://tc.eserver.org/22847.html This paper covers the usability testing of a prototype digital library. The library holds technical manuals for scientific instruments. Findings show test subjects can locate desired documents faster with this digital library than a corresponding paper library. However, the same subjects can locate desired information faster in a paper document than a digital one. Finally, most subjects reported they would prefer to using the online library of technical documents over the library of paper ones. http://tc.eserver.org/22262.html http://tc.eserver.org/22262.html Last month I went through some fairly atrocious documentation. The letters I received from frustrated geeks really drove home the point that bad docs can make what should be a simple, routine, and--dare I say--fun experience, dreadful. http://tc.eserver.org/22119.html http://tc.eserver.org/22119.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/22118.html http://tc.eserver.org/22118.html This paper outlines some general principles you need to consider when planning an online help project and creating WinHelp files. http://tc.eserver.org/21795.html http://tc.eserver.org/21795.html Why would anybody want to use JavaHelp? The answer is not necessarily obvious, especially to help authors. http://tc.eserver.org/21707.html http://tc.eserver.org/21707.html An overview of documentation development for online help. http://tc.eserver.org/21574.html http://tc.eserver.org/21574.html When assigned to create a context-sensitive hypertext Help system, writers and editors often find themselves asking, 'Where do I start? What is context-sensitivity and how in-depth should it be? How do I organize Help topics for the interface?' We will demonstrate how to structure a Help system based on context-sensitivity, the interface, and useful access tools. We will show how WordPerfect Domestic Documentation Services uses interface information to create a topics database and a corresponding text file. http://tc.eserver.org/21545.html http://tc.eserver.org/21545.html This encyclopedia article provides engineering managers with a detailed overview of the process for developing online documents. http://tc.eserver.org/21505.html http://tc.eserver.org/21505.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/21506.html http://tc.eserver.org/21506.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/21510.html http://tc.eserver.org/21510.html This demonstration introduces the concept of an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS), an online end-user support system that provides whatever is necessary to generate performance and learning at the moment of need. The speaker will step through a five-level analysis of the design and delivery components of an EPSS and demonstrate how to design and position online documents for inclusion in an EPSS. http://tc.eserver.org/21479.html http://tc.eserver.org/21479.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/21478.html http://tc.eserver.org/21478.html Want to provide your users with state-of-the art HTML Help but don't want to force them to install Internet Explorer (which is required to run compiled HTML Help files)? In this article we show you how to create context-sensitive Help that displays a topic from a .CHM file if IE is installed on the user's system, and displays the equivalent topic from a .HLP file if IE isn't installed. http://tc.eserver.org/21476.html http://tc.eserver.org/21476.html It is possible to create good, efficient, easy-to-maintain HTML Help systems - and it really isn't that difficult. The bad news is that if you're not sure exactly what settings need to be made, you will find creating modular HTML Help systems very frustrating. Read this article and avoid being frustrated. http://tc.eserver.org/21471.html http://tc.eserver.org/21471.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/21475.html http://tc.eserver.org/21475.html In a previous article we discussed what browser-based HTML Help is, and how you can use the HTML Help ActiveX control to create and distribute web-based HTML Help to Microsoft Internet Explorer Users. In this article we'll explain how to use the Microsoft Java Applet to create and distribute Help systems that can be viewed by an Java-enabled browser. http://tc.eserver.org/21480.html http://tc.eserver.org/21480.html In this article we discuss what browser-based HTML Help is, the sitemap file that's behind the HTML Help table of contents, how the HTML Help ActiveX control HHCTRL.OCX interprets and displays this sitemap file, and how you can automatically distribute HHCTRL.OCX. http://tc.eserver.org/21473.html http://tc.eserver.org/21473.html Doc-To-Help 2000 has a new 'fault tolerance' feature that forgives novice authors their Microsoft Word mistakes, including direct formatting and stretched bookmarks. These problems often cause corrupted cross-references as well as document-to-Help-system conversion problems. Doc-To-Help's automatic diagnostic and repair utilities now find these common errors and correct them automatically. http://tc.eserver.org/21477.html http://tc.eserver.org/21477.html The mechanism that Doc-To-Help uses for mapping topics in a context-sensitive HTML Help differs from the mechanism it uses for context-sensitive WinHelp. This article tells you what you need to know to properly link context-sensitive HTML Help to an application.