Images in help systems?

["Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

Darren Barefoot reports: <<As I understand it, the rule of thumb when
authoring help systems is that the average help system should contain less
images than its corresponding printed (or printable) manual.>>

Nope. The rule of thumb is identical for both media: use the graphics where
they communicate more accurately and economically than the alternative
(text).

<<For installation purposes, the smaller the help system the better, and
images tend to bloat help systems.>>

In terms of file size, a techwhirler claiming to work for Microsoft once
reported that the design criteria for the online help for Windows were that
it had to fit on a single floppy disk. (<Fe> Let's hear it for user-centered
design. </Fe>) Nowadays, with hundreds of megabytes left free on a typical
installation CD and gigabytes left free on a typical hard disk, this is no
longer a relevant criterion--though there are limits to anything of course,
and a multi-gigabyte help file is probably questionable. The more relevant
consideration is the physical size of the image, since (ideally) the help
window as a whole should not conceal the application window and prevent you
from reading the instructions and acting on them without constantly having
to change windows; if not, a printed manual is more usable. Both, of course,
are primitive substitutes for a truly useful help system (e.g., Apple's
Guide technology and Microsoft's Wizards).

<<For Web-based help systems, as you're only loading one page at a time,
load time shouldn't be a big deal either--unless you've designed a lousy
help system.)>>

This is highly bandwidth-dependant. Being a technopeasant, my home modem
(33.6K) and my ISP (which doesn't seem to have upgraded their capacity since
the evil AT&T bought them out) seriously decreases the usability of anything
graphics-heavy.

<<If there are lots of screenshots in the help system, the user may become
confused as to which is the application and try to click in the help
system.>>

Not if the help system is well-designed. The problem will arise primarily if
you use full-size, uncropped screenshots, since these then appear identical
to the user interface.

<<what criteria do you apply when selecting screenshots for the help
system?>>

My criterion: "If picture is worth a thousand words, you should use pictures
when they'll save you a thousand words of description."

<<Our thinking is that if they're helpful in the manual, they're helpful in
the help system.>>

That's generally true, but as with any other online vs. print comparisons,
you can't simply dump printed material online. Apart from the sizing issues
described above, you really have to spend some thought on whether the help
topic still requires an image or whether another approach (e.g., tooltips
rather than "what's this" screenshots inserted in the help file itself)
might work much better.

--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca 
"User's advocate" online monthly at
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