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Subject:RE: Business Process Information in a User Guide From:Scott Wahl <wahl_scott -at- yahoo -dot- ca> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 4 Sep 2001 07:27:30 -0700 (PDT)
Tara,
You make a really good point here: the basic goal is
to help users use a product for real-world tasks.
Sometimes, this is best accomplished by writing very
focused procedures. Other times, it is best to
provide users with the background concepts that will
help them understand how the product fits into their
world and how they can use it.
This often depends on the product (its level of
familiary and complexity) and on users (their
expertise with the product or similar products, etc.)
For example, many experience computer users can
quickly figure out how to use a software application,
especially if it uses a standard Windows look and
feel. So what these users may need is not detailed
procedures for every task, but a conceptual
grounding in what the software does, how they can use
it, and how it fits into their work.
In the past, we have often provided this conceptual
information, with sample tutorials, in a printed
Getting Started manual. Then the online help
provides focused procedures and field-level reference.
In order to help people understand the WHY, we
have been including more descriptive information, not
only about what the reader is doing at the moment, but
about where it fits into the overall picture.
</snip>
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