Question

Back in the days of Unix, you couldn’t even close a software without reading the man page first. Then came Mac and Windows with consistent menu layout and keyboard shortcuts, but you still saw paper user manuals shipped in the shrinkwrap box, which described each and every single operation possible in the app. After the Internet, help files became html documents.

Nowadays with Web 2.0 applications, you hardly see the Help. Even if it’s there, they simply describe some specific tasks. In other words, the apps are relying more on the common sense or don’t-make-me-think factor of the user base.

Years ago Microsoft came up with a concept called Inductive User Interface, which basically tells programmers to put in instructions on the apps itself, but I am not sure how popular that idea is.

Are help files, user manuals, and context sensitive online help with F1 key dead? Have I failed if user could not find out what to do from the UI? If not, what degree of help should I provide? (both for desktop and web app)

EDIT: How does documentation/help file mesh with agile development methods? For example, should the developers think twice before UI changes that may obsolete a bunch of screenshots?

Answer 1

Have I failed if user could not find out what to do from the UI? If not, what degree of help should I provide? (both for desktop and web app)

They should be able to use your your app to do basic things from the UI. eg say for an image editor, they should be able to create a new image, and draw some lines then save it just by looking at the UI.

This is best done by following common layouts (like having new, open and save under file in the menubar, and using the standard open and save dialogs).

The same goes for webapps, people exspect to be able to do the basic stuff without having to read the docs, but for more advanced features people will still read the docs. (eg most pople will read the docs for say BB code, or markdown at least sometimes, but they expect to be able to post without having to know them)

Are help files, user manuals, and context sensitive online help with F1 key dead?

They still have their place. People will use them to learn about how to best use various features, for example markdown or bbcode, or how to use filters to get certain effects in an image editor.