Quick Help

[Dan Mueth <d-mueth uchicago edu>]

I'd like to get feedback on an idea for a new component to the GNOME help
system.  Here it is:

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GNOME Quick Help

GNOME Quick Help would roughly be a clone of the simple help system found
on Windows and some other systems.  The main purpose would be to quickly
find simple instructions on how to do something.  (As opposed to our
current help system which provides complete, detailed documentation: pages
of text sorted into sections with screenshots, etc.)  Each help "item" is
basically a FAQ item.  So each item in its index would be something like
"Moving a Panel" or "Sound Volume: Changing".  When selected, it would
show a few very simple and short instructions on how to do the particular
item.  No screenshots.  No pages of text.  Just a short and simple set of
instructions your Mom could follow.

We would probably implement this on an application-by-application
basis.  That is, big applications like Gnumeric and Nautilus would use
it.  Things like the Clock applet would probably not use it.  It could
potentially be initiated either by a "Quick Help" Help menu item or else
possibly by a characteristic Quick Help icon in the application window
somewhere.
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I am not entirely sure about this myself.  I think this is what most users
want. It is fast and easy so users don't get confused or spend a lot of
time finding their information.  It is also what Windows and many other
system use, so (1) users are familiar with it already, and (2) my guess is
that M$ spent a lot of time and money figuring out what works and decided
this was the way users wanted information presented to them.

The down side of course is that it makes a lot more work for us, since we
have to maintain both a user manual and quick help.

This is a place where usability labs could really be useful to determine
whether our current application manuals are really usable for people who
have specific questions on how to do something.  My impression is that
most people don't have the patience to sit down and read more than a few
sentences if they basically know how to use an application and just want a
question answered.

Dan

PS: I have to give credit to John Lathrope for originally suggesting this
idea.