On May 5, 2009, at 2:27 PM, Bill Marshall wrote:
Help functionality is a recurring point of contention in nearly every
project I work on. I do Voice UX design, and very often our products
are used in-car where users can't or shouldn't be looking at a
screen for cues. Our big hurdle is helping users know what features
are voice-enabled, and what vocabulary they can use.
Context-sensitive help can be helpful for this.
But I regularly hear "users don't use help," and I'd like to know
how true that is. Does anyone know of any resources/studies on how
likely it is that a user will seek help from a system?
Hi Bill,
There's an entire field of study called User Assistance that's got
about 20 years worth of findings on just this question. It's a branch
of technical communication.
Unfortunately, I'm on a plane right now (where email gets done!)
otherwise I'd send you a link. But, I'm betting if you google the
term, you'll find a ton of resources, including a great annual
conference called WritersUA.
Hope that helps,
Jared
Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: jsp...@uie.com p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: @jmspool
UIE Roadshow: Seattle, Denver, DC in June: http://is.gd/gxwe
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