RE: Encouraging users to read online help

[SIANNON -at- VISUS -dot- JNJ -dot- com]

Iggy says:
> Training shouldn't be required to teach people to use
> online help. At least, the help itself shouldn't
> require training.

...and training shouldn't be required to show a user how to open a program 
from the start menu on a Windows box.  Nevertheless it is, if the user 
doesn't know how the start menu works.  You have just illustrated my point 
about assuming knowledge on the part of the user.

I just got out of a meeting (less than 15 minutes ago) with a bigwig of the 
Documentation Control department (addresses documentation concerns and 
revision control for all official docs in the company), where I was trying 
to work out how to deal with multidimensional (non-linear-progression) 
documents in the Doc Control repository/system they're using, which 
converts all docs to a linear (nonhyperlinked) PDF for viewing by the 
customer, while retaining the original format for export.  I was explaining 
our use of winhelp files for simple online training and reference, and 
asked her to call up the file so she could see what I meant.

She didn't actually read the Contents page, which linked to the various 
modules and explained how to use the browse sequences, before we went to 
the revision history page.  I asked her to go back to the Contents for a 
moment, and she paused, trying to figure out how to do that (i.e., she was 
unfamiliar with the use of the Contents buton). I went to show her the 
browse sequences, and she appeared unfamiliar with them, as well. She knew 
helpfiles exist, but seemed unfamiliar with the basic conventions of their 
use,--and she's not a technophobic user, she just never needed to become 
familiar with helpfiles before.

A couple years ago, while trying to explain something, I actually showed a 
user the "Index" tab of an app's helpfile, and saw the stunned look of 
surprise and happiness as she realized she could look things up with it.  
She'd never known, and she'd been using Windows app's for years.

I used to receive the same call, monthly, from a user who would 
consistently attempt to open Powerpoint files in Word. Even worse, it was 
the *same* Powerpoint file, each time (for the monthly review of the org. 
charts for four divisions).




I think this might be the same issue as whether a "conventions used in this 
document" section is needed for a doc. Some folks say yes, some say no, 
some say it depends. YMMV. Is your audience comfortable with using 
helpfiles? If yes, they should require no training or additional 
commentary.  If they are *not* comfortable with helpfiles, then maybe a 
little training or prompting is in order.

Shauna

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