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Re: query re help

Subject: Re: query re help
From: Peter Neilson <neilson -at- alltel -dot- net>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:51:24 -0500


On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 07:20:29 -0800, Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> wrote:

I will second Pam's statement about the quality of most computer help.
It's simply not very helpful. Applications with poor online help are just
extensions of applications with badly written manuals.

It's even worse than that. The user knows what he wants to find out. He
want to make the words line up straight. If he clicks on MS Word's help,
it tells him to ask a question. He enters, "How do I make the words line
up straight?"
 
The non-helpful reply says,
 
What would you like to do?
 
* Troubleshoot drawing objects
 
* Troubleshoot aligning and arranging
text and drawing objects
 
* Arrange text and graphics on a page
 
* Ways to arrange drawing objects
 
* Create a table
 
* About working with tables
 
He looks at the list, knows he doesn't want to do anything with drawings,
objects, or tables. Instead of hitting the computer with a brick, he goes
and asks someone, "How do you make the words line up straight?"
 
If he had asked his question differently, "How do I get justified text?" he
would have gotten a different set of choices, slightly less confusing. The
smart-ass paperclip rolling its eyes at him just makes him hate the help
a wee bit more. Help does not get a second chance from him. He knows it's
useless, now, and always goes and asks someone.
 
MS Word's help could have been worse, though. If the user gets to the help
screen about justified text, it will actually show him the justify button, by
moving an arrow slowly to where it is on the toolbar. It could have said
instead, "The justify button justifies text," and nothing else.

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References:
Re: query re help: From: Gene Kim-Eng

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