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IMO, use of screen shots depends on two issues;
1. the public
2. the document type
The most important thing is that everything in a manual should be there for
a purpose, it should assist the reader in using the application/apparatus.
If you create a reference guide, intended for system administrator's or
other technicians, use of screen shots should be minimal. Reference guides
are mostly used to look up functions, descriptions of components etc. thus
the emphasis should be on the description, on text. Screen shots should
then only be used when the information would be ambiguous or vague without
a visual aid. This way these guides can be easily updated, you don't have
to spend so much time checking the UI for changes.
If you create a manual for users that have mediocre, little or no
experience with your system, I believe you should include a shot of every
window (assuming it's Window based). This helps your reader identify the
windows both on screen and paper. They will feel reassured that they have
opened the proper window or dialog box and don't have to scan trough the
text for pointers. Certainly when many Windows look alike, user's should be
able to see at first glance they are working with the one described.
Another advantage of screen shots is that users can browse through the
manual to look up the Window they need information on. Sure they can use
the index or TOC, but how many of us haven't searched by screen shots? And
yet another advantage is that with a screen shot you can show a window that
has been filled with an example, so they see what kind of data needs to be
entered. This is very useful in tutorials.
A user manual is also a marketing tool, a book with a lot of pretty
pictures (?) looks more attractive than one with just plain text. Plain
text doesn't invite a novice to read, pictures do. A bad and uninviting
manual has bad impact on the attitude towards the product, a good manual
helps appreciating it. So, less isn't always better, a manual isn't
literature!
As for on line help, I'm not in favor of screen shots OL Help needs to be
as compact as possible. If you include screenshots, it will cover a big
part of the screen, thus obscuring the subject. And ... there's something
called context sensitive help!
My two cents (0.02 Dutch Guilders, while they last)
Jeroen Hendrix
PolyDoc
the Netherlands
mail to: jhe -at- polydoc -dot- com
Web: www.polydoc.com
