Dave Crozier wrote:
Malcolm,
I've just stopped using on line help completely as it seems that the number
of times it is used is out of all proportion to the amount of work you put
in to create it. Now, all my "Help" is done via either Camtasia Studio or
using Viewlet builder by Qarbon which everyone really likes. All the hours
I've spent slaving away with documentation really has been the equivalent of
working for nothing.
I'm with you 100% brother. I look at all the work put into those types
of help, and while they're neat and slick looking/functioning when
they're done, I'm not able to put those kinds of resources towards that
effort with the small profit margin I have now. If I bumped up my fees,
then perhaps, but not the way I currently do work. Reminds me of a
great session I saw last night at DAFUG featuring Cathy Poutney's
session on "proper user testing." She listed bazillion different things
that should be done and while I agree with her that all of those were
great ideas and *should* be done, I'd go broke just going through *all*
of the various things. Sure, I do some of them, but she really
explained it all, and I just can't spare the full expense. Don't read
that wrong: I do test for the 95% of things users will hit, but expect
to address the other rare 5% when I happen to run into that scenario.
Now if someone wanted to provide more funds to test the full gamut, then
I'd be happy to comply, but with my clients in the past, who always
seemed to want Cadillacs for the Kia budget (one actually said that to
me), well, we're not going to run the Cadillac (or I prefer to say
Mercedes Benz) gamut...you'll get what you pay for (and if that's a MB,
then great!).
There is nothing like "seeing it happen" on the screen live in front of you,
and it is the nearest I've ever come to being able to use the "chalk and
talk" technique with remote customers. In addition the interactive demo's
really impress the "fee payers" as well as the grunts who use the software
on a day to day basis.
"Seeing is believing" is the old saying and I can't tell you enough that
my clients as well as support staff have LOVED my presentations with
ViewletBuilder. It's been a developer testing tool, a user
documentation tool, and a marketing tool.....and that's usually all from
the same viewlet done once!!!!!!!!
I find that a 5 minute video/SWF is worth 1000 pages of manual and I can
send out instant help in about 10 minutes which is all I need to produce a
Viewlet and post it via email or on on my website.
I think that's the future. But then again, think of our tool--VFP.
I'm glad we have the VFP CHM (and Hackers CHM) to refer to as
needed....I can't imagine the Viewlets working as good for those syntax
references.
--
Thanks,
--Michael
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