RE: [user-assistance-discuss] Tests passed, an easy question (I hope)

["Paul Prescod" <paul.prescod@xmetal.com>]

90% of User Assistance documentation is exactly what we previously
called "Online Help". Modern user assistance can be a bit less passive
in its help. For example, on Windows if you ask for help on installing a
printer, the "help" can walk you through the process and through a
troubleshooting process if things fail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Assistance

That said, I am personally most concerned about the subset of User
Assistance that is plain old Online Help. If we could get to standards
for that then R&D into wizard-based help etc. would be a logical next
step.

I will send a better kick-off email later today and perhaps we could
plan to start the discussion in earnest on Monday (to give people a
chance to trickle in).

Thanks for your attendance!

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norman Walsh [mailto:ndw@nwalsh.com] 
> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 8:30 AM
> To: user-assistance-discuss@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [user-assistance-discuss] Tests passed, an easy 
> question (I hope)
> 
> Looking in the archives, the test messages seem to have gone 
> through, so I'll open the discussion with an easy question: 
> what on earth is "user assistance documentation" (it's 
> presumably distinct from "user frustration documentation" but 
> that doesn't help much :-)
> 
>                                         Be seeing you,
>                                           norm
> 
> --
> Norman Walsh <ndw@nwalsh.com> | Nothing will ever be attempted, if all
> http://nwalsh.com/            | possible objections must be first
>                               | overcome.--Dr. Johnson
>