Minimalism reconsidered: should we design documentation for exploratory learning?

ABSTRACT

During the past decade, few efforts aimed at the articulation of new computer documentation models have inspired as much interest within the documentation community as has John Carroll's formulation of the tenets of "minimalism." In our experience, however, minimalism is often incorrectly understood by practitioners simply as a prescription for brevity. Minimalism is, in fact, more complex than this. In "The Minimal Manual" (1987--88) Carroll and his coauthors suggest that minimalism comprises four characteristics: (1) brevity (or perhaps conciseness), (2) focus on real tasks, (3) support of error recognition and recovery efforts, and (4) adoption of an instructional philosophy termed "guided exploration."

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.7 Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement
          Subjects: Documentation

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors, Management