Informing Users of Alternatives (was: How much do people need to be told ...?)
In
fact, that might make an interesting thread all on its own: how do you alert
readers to alternative, more-efficient ways to do things? (If anyone takes
me up on this and starts a new thread, PLEASE change the subject/title of
the messages!)
My technique in the Linux manuals I mentioned was to give a command like this:
1. Open the File. Do one of the following:
- From the File menu, select Open.
- From the icon bar, select the Open icon.
- Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard.
Another possibility: Give the full range of choices for an action in a section on navigation, or the first time an action is mentioned in the chapter. Then, in subsequent procedures, give the simple instruction ("Open the file") followed by a cross-reference to the full list of possibilities.
I probably wouldn't use this second method when the audience was new users, however.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com
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