FLOSSmanuals.net: A New Wiki Help Authoring/Publishing Tool Hybrid

Flossmanuals.net is a new wiki help authoring/publishing tool hybrid that, as far as I know, is completely unique. The site is more than a wiki. It allows groups of authors to create specific chapters independently. You can then remix the chapters into any arrangement and selection you want through a drag-and-drop interface.

Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Articles>Documentation>Help>Wikis

Information Design for PDAs

Designing online Help for PDAs is a marked shift from designing for personal computers because the reduced memory capacity and display-unit size (a VGA screen of 300x240 pixels) of PDAs mandate Help formats optimized in ways not necessary with larger machines. Current Help files on PDAs are simple HTML files, but this format might prove inadequate for the complex Help files needed for more elaborate software applications. Thus it is necessary to explore strategies for online Help that work within the limitations of small-screen devices.

Padmanabhan, Poornima. STC Canada West Coast (2007). Articles>Documentation>Wireless Web>Help

Accessible Context-Sensitive Help with Unobtrusive DOM Scripting

This article demonstrates two methods of calling context-sensitive help in a web form: the Field Help Method and Form Help Method, in which unobtrusive DOM/JavaScript is employed to achieve the desired result. It also serves to illustrate the separation of the Structure and Behavior layers of a web page. Graceful degradation is employed to make sure that the help information is accessible if JavaScript is disabled or not available in a user agent.

Palinkas, Frank M. Opera (2008). Articles>Web Design>Standards>Help

Placing Value on User Assistance

User assistance writers are often the Rodney Dangerfields of the UX world, bemoaning the fact that we don’t get any respect. I think the real problem is that user assistance folks are not particularly good at communicating the ways in which we add value to an enterprise. This column explores two models that show how user assistance adds value and how we can communicate that value to those who pay our salaries—something I would like to encourage other user assistance writers to do.

Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>Help

Technical Support: (Yet Another) Holy Grail

His own vendor conspiracy theories aside, Lou Rosenfeld knows of three main reason why technical "support" is often not support at all.

Rosenfeld, Louis. CIO Magazine (2000). Articles>User Experience>Help

Error Message Gallery

A collection of humourous error messages and dialogue boxes that you can add to by making your own.

Atom Smasher. Humor>User Interface>Help>Microsoft Windows

Gallery of Onscreen Help

A collection of screen captures from online documentation, to permit technical writers and documentation designers to review a variety of visual styles.

Gallery of Onscreen Help. Resources>Documentation>Help>Online

Nine Trends in Online User Assistance

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.

Pratt, Ellis. Cherryleaf (2003). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Ode to Balloon Help

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.

Cavanagh, Thomas B. Usability Professionals Association (2004). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Eight Tips for Writing Informative Overview Topics

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.

HelpScribe (2008). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Alternatives to Software Documentation

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.

Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2007). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Can Collaboration Help Redefine Usability?    

There are countless usability blogs, message boards and listservers. But to my knowledge, no one has attempted to integrate all this information into a single, collaborative knowledge space. I believe that creating such a knowledge space would be of immense benefit to the usability profession and would be a wonderful platform on which to refine our understanding of social computing and knowledge management.

Kreitzberg, Charles B. Journal of Usability Studies (2006). Articles>Collaboration>Usability>Help

Error Message Guidelines

Established wisdom holds that good error messages are polite, precise, and constructive. The Web brings a few new guidelines: Make error messages clearly visible, reduce the work required to fix the problem, and educate users along the way.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2001). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Help

How to Handle the Page Not Found Error

Every site should handle the page not found error gracefully. Two quite similar articles have the following tips: do not redirect people to the home page; let the visitor know that something unexpected is going on at first glance.

GUUUI (2004). Articles>Web Design>Help

Could You Repeat That in English?

Frequently, error messages are totally uninformative -- or, worse, just plain wrong. Here, we look at how meaningful error messages can make it easier for users to correct problems without having to rely on technical support, and how poorly chosen messages can turn users into ex-users.

Seebach, Peter. IBM (2002). Articles>User Interface>Online>Help

Where to Start With HTML Help

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.

CyberText Consulting (2008). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

A Question of Trust

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.

Cherryleaf (2009). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Ten RoboHelp Tips You Won't Want to Miss

I've been using RoboHelp for nearly a decade now. I started off with an older Word-based version to create WinHelp, and now I work with the HTML version to create WebHelp for locally installed and server-based products. Here are a few RoboHelp tips that I've found useful in my day-to-day help authoring responsibilities.

HelpScribe (2009). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp

Should Your Help Be Moved to a Server?

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.

HelpScribe (2009). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help

Consolidating Content Delivers More with Less

Software products have found ways to share content and reuse content to deliver more value with limited resources. For example, fantasy football web sites share player news, injury reports, and game statistics. Security products often reuse security announcements and warnings from trusted sources, and present them as rebranded content. We are also seeing software vendors using Twitter and RSS feeds to distribute information and announcements. The next step is when these information feeds are integrated into the product user interface itself, making it the one stop resource for all the information needs of its users. No more need to use google when your product itself delivers the answers to all your questions from the sources you trust.

Answers for All (2009). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>Help

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

Think Simple: A Fresh Approach to User Assistance  

Online help. User assistance. That thing that pops up when you press F1. No matter what you call it, user assistance is an important element in the experience of a user. It can mean the difference between a frustrated user and a productive one. But is today's user assistance all it can be? Are we giving users purposeful information at the right time, in the most effective format, and ultimately in the way that they need it? Unfortunately, no.

Davis, Aaron and Scott Nesbitt. DMN Communications (2009). Presentations>Documentation>Online>Help

Thriving on Ignorance

A short blog post that discusses why users are more interested in learning how to, and not what is.

Nesbitt, Scott. DMN Communications (2009). Articles>TC>Documentation>Help

Progressive User Adoption

User assistance can add value to a product or Web service’s business model by influencing how deeply users adopt new features or services. As more products employ pay-as-you-go models like that of SaaS (Software as a Service), the contribution user assistance makes becomes increasingly more important.

Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2009). Articles>Documentation>User Centered Design>Help

Including Recommendations in User Interfaces to Enhance Motivation

Motivation is an important factor in any kind of online interaction or transaction. People need a little encouragement when they’re not really convinced they should take any action or are uncertain about what action to take next. As users perform tasks online, they need to understand what’s happening and expect you to help them move forward. This article discusses the responsibility of a user interface to provide recommendations along a user’s path of interaction.

Kirmani, Afshan. UXmatters (2009). Articles>User Interface>Help>User Experience