[ID Discuss] Access points for context sensitive help

[alysander stanley]

Quick summary:  use hyperlinks for "contextual help
access points".  


For regular applications, I see a need for at least
two kinds of "help".  Guides which walk through the
operation step by step and technical reference which
provides exact details.
How users access this information is very important
and ideally non-command\contextual.  For example: if a
user performs a complex operation that involves a
dialog box which they haven't used before, the
appropriate guide could open itself.

"Weblications" are much harder to design as you have
less control of the enviroment (context) and browsers
are inherently inappropriate for applications.
I would concentrate on understanding users, then
design an interface that makes performing their tasks
as straightfoward and practical as possible.

The most obvious place for "help" is on the page, with
whatever features\functions they apply to. But this
can get in the way.  The problem with a help menu
(especially in flash) is that it's too out of the way.
 Users have to go out of *their* way to use them. 
That's if they notice them in the first place.

If you need to include more information than you can
fit on a page, make a link instead.  And not like
"Click here for information on this feature" but more
like "What's this?" or better yet "Using XYZ" where
XYZ is the name of your feature\widget.

I think amazon is a good example of this kind of
thing.   For more information go to useit.com.

If you're really serious, I'd look at python or java
for a real GUI.  Python's easy to learn.

- Alysander

 --- Navneet Nair <nav at onclipevent.com> wrote: > 
> With our next release of our web based software we
> are planning to incorporate 
> context sensitive help as part of the application.
> Currently the help is 
> accessed from a drop-down Help menu that has a link
> to the ‘Contents and 
> Index.’ This of course, opens the help with the TOC
> and the default welcome 
> page. As per the current implementation, the context
> sensitive help can be 
> accessed by using the F1 key which opens the help
> related to the page the user 
> is accessing in a window without the index and TOC.
> There is no other link to 
> the context sensetive help.
> 
> What would be the ideal access point for help? I’ve
> noticed Lotus Notes has two 
> links in the help menu. One takes you to the ‘Help
> Topics’ and the other 
> opens ‘Context Help,’ but I’ve not noticed this
> variation in a lot of other 
> applications. Usually the F1 key does the job of
> context sensitivity with no 
> link separate link in the Menu.
> 
> Are there any patterns or conventions in this
> respect?
> 
> TIA
> Navneet
> 
> PS: Apologies for cross posting on CHI-WEB but I
> need to get the interactions 
> speced for this feature over the weekend :(
> 
> Navneet Nair
> Interaction Architect
> http://www.onclipevent.com
> form follows function();
> Blog: http://www.onclipevent.com/enterframe/
> _______________________________________________
> Interaction Design Discussion List
> discuss at interactiondesigners.com
> --
> to change your options (unsubscribe or set digest):
> http://discuss.interactiondesigners.com
> --
> Questions: lists at interactiondesigners.com
> --
> Announcement Online List (discussion list members
> get announcements already)
> http://interactiondesigners.com/announceList/
> --
> http://interactiondesigners.com/

Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies.
http://au.movies.yahoo.com