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RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?)
Subject:RE: Step structure (was RE: a question about verb tense/is or was ?) From:"Walters, Christian (CCI-Atlanta)" <Christian -dot- Walters -at- cox -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 22 Mar 2001 12:59:56 -0500
Okay, I really have to get some work done, so I'll shut up for awhile after
this. (BTW, I just joined. Glad to be among all of you :) )
I will have to dig up Jared's study. If memory serves, it was from the
Anaheim STC Conference about three years ago.
Christine raises some good points. For example:
: "From the File menu, select Open."
: Users locate the File menu and then select Open from it.
True. However, experienced Windows users expect "Open" to be on the File
menu, so just telling them to click Open is enough. For lesser experienced
users, they might not know that, but the information is right there. You
don't really slow down the newbies, and you don't bog down the experts.
(THere is another option with menus, too: Click File->Open. Probably not
worth getting into that one now :) )
: "To open the ABC window, click ABC. "
: Users know why they're clicking ABC before they click ABC
Again, I think it depends on your situation. If opening the ABC window is
just one step along the path to complete a task, you don't care why you are
clicking ABC. (Or, at least, you are clicking ABC to reach your ultimate
goal.) By the time they're dealing with the documentation, I'd bet that
they are at the point of just wanting to finish the damn task and move on to
whatever is next.
: "When the confirmation appears, click Back."
: I want to make sure users don't jump the gun and click Back *before* the
: confirmation appears.
In this case, I actually agree :) But I could also argue that waiting for
the confirmation is the important part in that step. (Actually, it's two
steps. You could break it into Wait for the confirmation. Click Back.)
Okay, I think I've aired my views and it's time to get busy with the paying
gig. (Hmmm... more precisely, it's time for lunch, THEN the paying gig...)
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