On Jun 8, 2009, at 1:46 AM, Ted Kilian wrote:
I am looking for good examples of get started tutorials - by which I
mean
the optional tooltips that guide you through an online application
for the
first time. I have seen this most often in games, but I know I have
run
across it in websites as well. We are proposing to replace existing
video
tutorials with this approach and I am looking for examples, studies or
opinions that support or refute this decision.
My sense is that the future of help for new users is to provide
these sorts
of optional, in-context tools rather than create and maintain a
separate
training video or tutorial. Rather than leave the functional flow
to learn
how to use something, this approach walks users through the process
so that
they are using while they are learning. It also means if the
application is
changed, all that is required is the additional in-context elements,
rather
than redesigning and producing a new video, which can become
relatively
expensive and complex.
[Not answering Ted's question, but instead talking about a bigger
problem that I think IxDs are struggling with.]
So, this is the third request in as many months for a basic
introduction to user assistance.
User assistance (http://is.gd/T98M) is a branch of online design that
has been worked on by really smart people for more than 30 years,
going back to the early work by Jack Carroll (http://is.gd/T9jA, known
for his work on minimalism) and others.
There's even an excellent annual conference on the topic (http://is.gd/T9bu
- note: I was the closing keynote this year and have presented at
many of them before).
Every question that's been asked to this list about tutorials, demos,
tooltips, and online assistance has been answered many times before by
the UA community.
I realize that IxD is a new field, but how do we integrate the
excellent work that's been done before instead of trying to reinvent
it? Sounds like a good design problem to me!
Jared
Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: [email protected] p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: @jmspool
UIE Roadshow: Seattle, Denver, DC in June: http://is.gd/gxwe
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