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Subject:how to document multi-choice GUI From:dodd -at- teleport -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 4 Mar 2003 09:17:45 -0800 (PST)
Hello all:
Among other things, I write software User Guides and online Help, directed at a very non-tech savvy audience.
Up till now, our GUIs have had windows with one purpose and with commands that basically perform one function each. Because of that, I've been able to write User Guides and online Help with task-oriented procedures that explain how to complete each task.
In a new software product, designed to allow the user to create a custom multimedia CD, the user makes several selections within one GUI window. This window has six sections. Each section contains several options, and the choices available in the other five sections will change depending on which options the user selects in each section.
Because of this structure, to complete the task of making the CD, the use must make a series of choices in each step. By the time the user gets to the end, there are myriad possibile task flows.
I'm not certain how to proceed with a User Guide. I've considered creating one uber-procedure, with each step being kind of a subsection including explanations and screen shots of the various results that can be obtained by choosing the various available selections. However, this moves me closer to the style of documentation that "justifies" the interface rather than explaining how to complete a task. I've also considered documenting several of the most likely task flows, but this would necessarily leave some choices out.
I'm also concerned about how to structure the online Help.
If there is a name for this kind of arrangement of the GUI, perhaps I can do some research, but I don't know where to start.
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