Help texts vs. help mechanisms: A new mandate for documentation writers

ABSTRACT

To compare different methods of accessing and presenting on-line help, controlled experiments were conducted. Several different help systems were compared, including a natural language help system and a human tutor. The results indicate that, while varying the help mechanism may have some effect on learning, its importance is greatly overshadowed by the simple quality of the help texts being presented. Even for on-line help, good writing seems to be the most important part of helping the user, far more important than elaborate or sophisticated mechanisms.

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INDEX TERMS

Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: ACRONYM

  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Training

General Terms:
Documentation, Human Factors