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Thursday Apr 26, 2007
Help buttons, user expectations, and wild ideas
For years, writers have tried to figure out what is the "right" approach to providing information directly to users from within a given product or application. Content of online help differs radically among operating systems, companies, and even products within a company (in some cases). Some believe that users click the Help button to find more information about the fields and buttons on the screen. Others believe that users click the Help button to find out how to perform a task from the screen. Still others believe that users should have access through the Help button to virtually all information about that product (field descriptions, conceptual information, tasks, and troubleshooting). In a web-based world, we can even provide help directly in the interface, by adding useful text to the screen or by providing information that displays when the user "mouses over" a particular object on the screen. Add to this mess a very fine line between "help" and other information embedded within a product, such as an online tutorial. And, to muddy the waters even further, consider the often asked question "Do users ever click the Help button anyway (or is it like asking for directions)?"
I am curious as to what people want today, and what you think you might want in five years. Some specific questions to guide the conversation are:
- Do you ever click the Help button? If so, why (in what circumstances)?
- What do you expect to happen when you click the Help button?
- Would you like to have information that comes from a web site (potentially changes daily or hourly) rather than is embedded into the product ("frozen" when the product ships)?
- Do you care if all products from a given company (or vendor) follow the same model?
I, of course, have my own thoughts about these issues, but I'm the information provider not the consumer. What do you think?
Posted at 11:03AM Apr 26, 2007 by jcinfoblog in General | Comments[1]
1. Do you ever click the Help button? If so, why (in what circumstances)?
Simple answer... yes, but only when something doesn't work as expected or it's not obvious what the choices I am making will do. I rarely ever read help as a book... more as a dictionary or encyclopedia... a reference on single small topics.
2. What do you expect to happen when you click the Help button?
I expect, or hope to get help directly related to where I am, possibly with a realistic example if the explanation involves more than a description... eg some code, syntax etc.
I find that mindless explanations of the obvious fields in a window are annoying.... like: "Name: The name of XYZ." That's pretty clear and totally unnecessary in the help... but, explanations of what is being accomplished... background information etc. is a lot more valuable. Definitions of possible options if they are not obvious in the context of the application... or the consequences of choices you can make... that is much more interesting and useful.
3. Would you like to have information that comes from a web site (potentially changes daily or hourly) rather than is embedded into the product ("frozen" when the product ships)?
I prefer up-to-date information. I know (from long experience) that the help is always the last consideration in a product. Usually the software is completed and ready to ship, and only then someone thinks.. "oh, we need to write the docs... ummm... ooops..." Online vs embedded help has the potential to be more current, more up to date etc... but has the disadvantage that if you are not connected to the web, you're out of luck.
4. Do you care if all products from a given company (or vendor) follow the same model?
Not really. Each product has a different end user target, and a different use. In some cases, a printed manual is better... in others, web based help is more logical. The key is (for me anyway) consistency within a single product... that in one application, the help is the same across the help topics... that it's follows the same layout/pattern per topic, and that it suits the application... and is contextual.
Posted by weeble on April 27, 2007 at 02:12 AM CDT #