Comments on: Cut, Cut, Cut your Content and Procedures http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/ Social Media Help: How to Use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:29:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Julie Norris http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2711 Julie Norris Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:32:54 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2711 I just thought of something else. We really have to think about using Click and other mouse-related references. That's because of so many touchscreens out there. If you Push, Touch, or Tap a button on a mobile device, the Click reference will be incorrect. It's too limiting now. You don't click anything on a phone. I think we <em>really </em>need to think about dropping the action if we can. I just thought of something else. We really have to think about using Click and other mouse-related references. That’s because of so many touchscreens out there. If you Push, Touch, or Tap a button on a mobile device, the Click reference will be incorrect. It’s too limiting now. You don’t click anything on a phone. I think we really need to think about dropping the action if we can.

]]> By: Patty Blount http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2710 Patty Blount Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:04:26 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2710 I think the Cut example is good; Cut More may be too ambiguous, depending on the app and the audience. But I do agree with your underlying point - Windows just celebrated its 25th birthday. I don't think we need to instruct users on basic usage, like 'click'. I think the Cut example is good; Cut More may be too ambiguous, depending on the app and the audience.

But I do agree with your underlying point – Windows just celebrated its 25th birthday. I don’t think we need to instruct users on basic usage, like ‘click’.

]]> By: Julie Norris http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2708 Julie Norris Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:32:56 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2708 Thanks to all of you for your comments. A note, which I should have mentioned up front: this assumes that the user has a screen open in front of them with the fields, buttons, and the like clearly visible. So they can look at the screen and the help file to see what to do. JGoldstein and Jplaza - yes, I agree that an intuitive UI is preferred, and perhaps a help topic isn't needed in some cases. That's a great reason to try and get involved during the development of an application as much as possible. Marie-Louise: I like your example. I think it would work. It's certainly has fewer words than The Old Way, so I think that's great. A suggestion I have is perhaps having a colon after the actions. That can break the step in such a way as to facilitate scanning. It separates the action from the screen item. For example: 1. Settings > Contact Settings > Update Contact Information 2. Click: Permissions 3. Select: Access > Global 4. Click: Save Changes Karen - I think you're right about audience. That always needs to be in mind. So I would just say to definitely keep that in mind. I just think that more and more, people are much more familiar with computers. I think it's important for tech writers to gently lead everyone in a new direction. By now, I think that most know that a button with "OK" or "Save" on it means that they need to click it. So do we need to say click in the procedure? Or do they just need to know that it's the next step, the next button they have to click? Today, I've added some links to other posts on this same subject. (That's another example: how about using More instead of Related Topics or something like that?) The last one (#tcchat transcripts) includes an example of what I'm calling Mobile Minimalism. It's a version of Cut More. I assume in that procedure that the screen is open and people can clearly see the fields referenced. I believe that mobile devices are really going to affect the amount of text that's written. Let's get it down to just a few words if possible. Thanks for your comments! Thanks to all of you for your comments. A note, which I should have mentioned up front: this assumes that the user has a screen open in front of them with the fields, buttons, and the like clearly visible. So they can look at the screen and the help file to see what to do.

JGoldstein and Jplaza – yes, I agree that an intuitive UI is preferred, and perhaps a help topic isn’t needed in some cases. That’s a great reason to try and get involved during the development of an application as much as possible.

Marie-Louise: I like your example. I think it would work. It’s certainly has fewer words than The Old Way, so I think that’s great. A suggestion I have is perhaps having a colon after the actions. That can break the step in such a way as to facilitate scanning. It separates the action from the screen item. For example:

1. Settings > Contact Settings > Update Contact Information
2. Click: Permissions
3. Select: Access > Global
4. Click: Save Changes

Karen – I think you’re right about audience. That always needs to be in mind. So I would just say to definitely keep that in mind. I just think that more and more, people are much more familiar with computers. I think it’s important for tech writers to gently lead everyone in a new direction. By now, I think that most know that a button with “OK” or “Save” on it means that they need to click it. So do we need to say click in the procedure? Or do they just need to know that it’s the next step, the next button they have to click?

Today, I’ve added some links to other posts on this same subject. (That’s another example: how about using More instead of Related Topics or something like that?) The last one (#tcchat transcripts) includes an example of what I’m calling Mobile Minimalism. It’s a version of Cut More. I assume in that procedure that the screen is open and people can clearly see the fields referenced. I believe that mobile devices are really going to affect the amount of text that’s written. Let’s get it down to just a few words if possible.

Thanks for your comments!

]]> By: Karen Lowe http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2703 Karen Lowe Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:48:13 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2703 The amount you cut will depend on your audience. I know computers, but I might not know the layout of this screen. Is this a non-obvious task? If the user is experienced in the screen and just needs a reminder, Cut and Cut More might work. For new users, it might confuse them. Too much cutting might eliminate the overall picture! As far as help text - the sample suggested by Marie-Louise Flacke takes up about the same space, but avoids confusion. I also like its consistency. The amount you cut will depend on your audience. I know computers, but I might not know the layout of this screen. Is this a non-obvious task? If the user is experienced in the screen and just needs a reminder, Cut and Cut More might work. For new users, it might confuse them. Too much cutting might eliminate the overall picture!

As far as help text – the sample suggested by Marie-Louise Flacke takes up about the same space, but avoids confusion. I also like its consistency.

]]> By: Marie-Louise Flacke http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2701 Marie-Louise Flacke Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:01:29 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2701 Cut and still localisation-friendly: 1. Settings->Contact Settings > update contact info 2. Click Permissions 3. Select Access-> Global 4. Click Save Changes Any comment? Cut and still localisation-friendly:

1. Settings->Contact Settings > update contact info
2. Click Permissions
3. Select Access-> Global
4. Click Save Changes

Any comment?

]]> By: Jplaza http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-590 Jplaza Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:56:58 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-590 I would have to agree with all of jgoldstein's comments. Again, a UI that works well wouldn't need help topics. I would have to agree with all of jgoldstein’s comments.

Again, a UI that works well wouldn’t need help topics.

]]> By: jgoldstein http://www.2morodocs.com/2009/07/cut-cut-cut-your-content-and-procedures/comment-page-1/#comment-2 jgoldstein Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:58:10 +0000 http://www.2morodocs.com/?p=145#comment-2 I question whether Cut or Cut More would work well for languages and cultures other than English. In fact, I'm not sure that Cut or Cut More work at all. I don't have any issues with minimalism, but I think your examples go too far. For example, in Cut More, step 2...there's no context. There's nothing that says what I'm supposed to do about Permissions. Look at it until it does something? Even in Cut, the procedure looks quite unclear. Access:Global means ...what? If you're not reading the help topic with the screen displayed, you have no idea that Access is a list and global is an option in that list. If the UI is so intuitive that you don't need words to explain it, why not just remove the help topic? I question whether Cut or Cut More would work well for languages and cultures other than English. In fact, I’m not sure that Cut or Cut More work at all.

I don’t have any issues with minimalism, but I think your examples go too far. For example, in Cut More, step 2…there’s no context. There’s nothing that says what I’m supposed to do about Permissions. Look at it until it does something? Even in Cut, the procedure looks quite unclear. Access:Global means …what? If you’re not reading the help topic with the screen displayed, you have no idea that Access is a list and global is an option in that list.

If the UI is so intuitive that you don’t need words to explain it, why not just remove the help topic?

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