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> BUT, I then I thought that if I were presented how-tos, and the first
three steps SEEMED to be the same every time I went to a how-to, I would
start assuming that all the how-tos have the same three steps. I would
automatically skip down to step four without even looking at them. This will
be a problem if the first three steps turn out not to be the same for ALL
how-tos, but only for a subset. You'll end up with people wondering why
things aren't working even though they've "followed" the how-to. At least
with a cross reference, you can point to different core steps when you need
to. I think this is the best way to go if you're creating online help, but
I'm still a little wishy-washy for print.......
>
Not to dissect this argument, but the sort of person who would assume that
the included steps are the same for different procedures - and thus simply
skip some steps in a list - is likely the same person who would assume that
the cross-referenced steps are the same, and wouldn't bother going to a
different page to check. In other words, this kind of user wouldn't follow
the instructions regardless of whether there was a cross-reference or a
longer ordered list.
I think the point is that they >didn't< follow the how-to. In either case
you give them a clear set of instructions (although in the case of a
cross-reference the total instructions are in more than one location), and
they didn't follow them. One of my assumptions when I write an ordered list
of instructions is that the people will perform step 1, followed by step 2,
and so on. If they then skip to step 17 because they assume that steps 3-16
are the same as in a different procedure they did a week ago, it won't help
a bit if you have some cross-reference - "to insert the widget please refer
to the whatever reference on page 142" - these folks will probably assume
that the referenced steps are the same as some other procedure. And this
assumption will be wrong in either case.
I'm not in favor of the phrase "idiot-proofing," because there is a
difference between ignorance and idiocy. However, if you provide a complete
list of instructions and the user chooses to deliberately skip a few because
of some assumptions they make, then maybe we are dealing less with ignorance
and more with idiocy.
Heck, this type of user probably doesn't open the user's guide anyway. :-)
Paul Strasser
Windsor Technologies, Inc.
2569 Park Lane, Suite 200
Lafayette, Colorado 80026
Phone: 303-926-1982
FAX: 303-926-1510
E-mail: paul -dot- strasser -at- windsor-tech -dot- com
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