I’ve expressed dissatisfaction in the past with the traditional tri-pane help format. I think it’s outdated and has gotten such a bad reputation with computer users that it’s too late to change that. So I think it’s time to find other ways to provide user assistance.

A few weeks ago, I got an email stating I was now being followed on Twitter by @helpburner. I thought this could be another technical writer, and I usually check the tweets of people who follow me anyway. Imagine my interest when Mike Stokes, the owner of this account, had tweets mentioning the beta test of a product called HelpBurner.

› Continue reading…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

In a recent post, I talked about having documentation design reviews. Yesterday, I showed my team a new project I’m working on. I was trying out a new approach, the idea behind which was good. But the team’s feedback helped me turn it into something better—and visually simpler.

› Continue reading…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

In a previous post, I wrote about the irony of technical writers not following directions. It made me think about the expectations I bring to online help or a set of printed instructions written by someone else. I think that because of their profession, technical communicators approach documentation differently than users in other fields.

Personally, I come to others’ documentation with a set of expectations. I’m critical at the same time that I’m sympathetic.

› Continue reading…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites