Re: [Usability] Embedded help works better than standalone help

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Fri, 31 Mar 2006, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:

> Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:33:16 +1200
> From: Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt myrealbox com>
> To: Gnome usability <usability gnome org>
> Subject: [Usability] Embedded help works better than standalone help
>
> On Mar 30, 2006, at 10:54 PM, Joachim Noreiko wrote:
> >
> > --- Reinout van Schouwen <reinouts gnome org> wrote:
> >>
> >> Also, maybe a "lightbulb tip" could be shown that
> >> users can drag pictures
> >> to the icon field.
> >
> > It's best to avoid putting documentation in the
> > interface. (There's a note in the HIG about this.)

I was going to let that go, but it is worthy of clarification.

An interface should try to be self explanitory and not require users read
documentation before they could ever possibly understand and use it.

(I dont think anyone is advocating removing inline explanations like
tooltips and status bar messages, which many programs could stand to
use more productively.)

I took the comment to mean text in user interfaces should be succint and
to the point (unlike me ;).

Looking up the documentation takes a relatively huge amount of time and
should only be a last resort.

> Then the HIG is wrong. (Calum, to chapter 11 with a pair of scissors,
> please...) It is far, far better for brief explanations of how to use a
> window to go in the window itself, than in separate help where it is
> read much less often.

I expect we only need to clarify the wording and the intent.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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