Red Drag Diva wrote: > On 12 Jun 2002 02:18:41 GMT, > Michael Tulloch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > : > : I think this is wonderful. Looking at it visually should help us to group > : topics better, and to see relationships that may prove obscure otherwise. > : I'm thinking that the topic you're on should appear at the top of the page > : though, and that we should limit the number of potential topics on a page > : to say five. Some pages were a bit crowded! > > > The topics for each page in the help should be limited to *one*.
I think mtulloch was referring to the map and not the help pages per se. > > Apple's Philosophy of Help: > > >http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macosx/Essentials/AquaHIGuidelines/AHIGHelp.fm/Apple_s_Phi_phy_of_Help.html > > This summed up a lot of what I already felt was wrong with the present > Mozilla help file. Particularly: > > "Cover one topic per page, to avoid burying some tasks." > > The present help file does indeed bury tasks. In what way? Topics are clearly delimited by section titles. Or do I misunderstand what you mean by "help file"? If you're referring to the locally installed help, there are actually several files. In our recent usability testing of Netscape help, no one tested seemed to encounter a problem with "buried tasks." People typically read help to accomplish a specific task. If tasks are "buried," it's not because of there being more than one task on a page, it's because navigation to the tasks is inadequate via the index, table of contents, or search. Arguably, having more than one task on a page may benefit a user, as long as the section headings are clear and the user knows where one task description begins and ends. With more than one task on the page, the user at least has an option of browsing and discovering information that the user might not otherwise encounter. Having one topic per page in Moz help adds a lot of logistical overhead (keeping track of files, adding to build manifests, etc.), and the size of the app could be increased significantly. By the way, FWIW, the lead writer for Moz help worked at Apple for over six years as a senior writer, and two other Moz help writers worked at Apple for at least six years each. It would be good to know what your experience is in writing help content and developing help systems, so I (and anyone else) have some perpsective when we see your assertions in the newsgroup. --Steve
