Comments on: Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users

By: Writing good documentation « Rickard Lindberg

Writing good documentation « Rickard Lindberg — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:46:26 +0000

[...] Rather Be Writing. In addition to some interesting podcasts I found this informing article: Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users. The author has some really interesting suggestions how to improve documentation for applications. [...]

By: Rickard Lindberg

Rickard Lindberg — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:47:31 +0000

I would like to have a look at the handout but I am on a GNU/Linux system and do not have access to Word. Is it possible for you to convert it to a PDF?

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:58:23 +0000

Rickard, I just added a handout at the bottom of the article that I passed out during a usability presentation I gave at the last STC Summit. Thanks for leaving your note.

By: Rickard Lindberg

Rickard Lindberg — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:27:17 +0000

Very good article. I am involved in a free software project and I think your guidelines above can help me improve the documentation. I will have to get back to this article.

By: Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users | I’d Rather Be Writing – Tom Johnson « Visualwrites: Design, Images, Guides

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:42:17 +0000

[...] Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users | I’d Rather Be Writing – Tom Johnson 2009 July 1 by dougwrites Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users | I’d Rather Be Writi…. [...]

By: Kartik

Kartik — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:30:40 +0000

Splendid article! I have seen my father, a 60 year old trying to come to terms with an application and its help. The application and the documentation were below par in my view anyway. Thanks for the informative article.

By: Jenny Pilley

Jenny Pilley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:48:37 +0000

Great post. I agree that when you help someone it reminds you of the times when you struggled to understand and the frustration it can cause. It helps to watch a new user because it engages you to understand the difficulties some people have which in turn helps you to write better technical writing.

By: Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users | I'd Rather Be Writing - Tom Johnson Writer River

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:46:07 +0000

[...] Documentation Usability: A Few Things I’ve Learned from Watching Users | I’d Rather Be Writi…. Tom Johnson | April 29, 2009 | permalink Tags: usability [...]

By: Mike Taddei

Mike Taddei — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:11:18 +0000

Excellent article with lots of great ideas that I am going to try to use. I am hampered by the fact that my help is deployed to a terminal server environment that severely limits my ability to use self-running training videos and prevents me from easily obtaining usage statistics.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:15:06 +0000

Have you tried calling a help line recently?

First, you get “Please listen closely as our menu has changed.” That means it has gotten more stupid and complex.

Second, you might get to speak to real person after you have died while waiting on hold. That’s MIGHT.

Third, you will get tired of guessing incorrectly, pushing the wrong phone pad buttons, and of phone menu h*ll in general.

When I installed something recently, it didn’t go well. I called the help lines for the gear, and for our cable company. THAT went so well I spend most of a Saturday night on hold. I eventually sat down on the floor, had a LONG think, and figured it out for myself.

Help lines are, by and large, not much help at all.