RE: Mac vs PC users

["Robart, Kay" <Kay -dot- Robart -at- tea -dot- state -dot- tx -dot- us>]

This advice, of course, depends upon who your users are.

Just in general, I think you have to include pretty basic information in
most Help systems, as long as you don't belabor it. For example, you
might explain how to save once along with some other basics in a general
topic. I don't think you need to explain what happens when you save
unless your program does some complex things. For example, in one
program I am working on, saving different pages in the Web application
writes different information to various audit pages. So for that
software I always describe what a save is going to do. But if you are
telling them that saving writes information to the disk, I wouldn't
bother.

The thing is, although you may have some sophisticated users, most
systems also have many users who are incredibly unsophisticated. That is
why I suggest you include basic information, but not in great detail.
Sophisticated users can skip the topics that cover general use of the
software, while others might need them.

Kay

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+kay -dot- robart=tea -dot- state -dot- tx -dot- us -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+kay -dot- robart=tea -dot- state -dot- tx -dot- us -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
On Behalf Of Elaine Garnet
Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 9:34 AM
To: dvora -at- tech-challenged -dot- com
Cc: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Mac vs PC users

Hi Deborah:
I guess we are an arrogant lot, we MAC users! That said, I am a new MAC
user and it took me a while to transition from the PC to MAC interface.
Just the other day, I had to call support to burn a CD for a PC user, a
task that normally would have given me no problems. Don't assume
everyone knows how to use a MAC. Check the Apple support pages and you
will see lots of questions from users.  
Good luck. Unfortunately, I do not know of any comparative PC-MAC user
studies.
Elaine


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