Designing for Task Organization ITSW 1410 Presentation Media Software Instructor: Glenda H. Easter

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 82 Guidelines for Designing Documents 1. Follow A Problem Solving Process-- (think of document design as a sequence of steps beginning with a problem ending with a solution (manual or help). –Set goals for your documents based on the user analysis. –Identify a number of techniques that would meet the goals.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 83 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 1. Follow A Problem Solving Process (Continued): –Mock up examples of one or two potentially useful designs. –Test and review –Decide on a design 2. Meet Task Needs –At the heart of any task-oriented documentation you will find step-by-step procedures called tasks that your user can follow to perform useful work.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 84 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 2. Meet Task Needs (Continued): –You must organize tasks so they match the pattern of activity your user will understand as logical. 3. Try Out Ideas On Users –Mock up pages with access elements on them and field test them. –Consult the chapter on testing for ways to do quick usability tests.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 85 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 3. Try Out Ideas On Users –Possible ways to organize materials: Degree of difficulty Sequence of User Jobs or tasks Job-related topics Alphabetically

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 86 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 4. Examine Existing Documentation –Existing Documentation can be found in a number of places including: Software stores that carry used copies of programs Bookstores University computer centers Public libraries Offices of friends Programming shops Shareware programs

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 87 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 5. Review User Analysis –Design for different groups –Design for specific program issues –Meet the user’s task needs –Meet the user’s information needs. The following strategies work well for meeting these needs: Explanations Examples Meet efficiency goals/command summaries for efficiency. Problem solving Emphasis on information management and communication work.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 88 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 5. Review User Analysis (Continued) –Match the user’s computer experience. For Novice - use tutorials For Experienced - use problem solving support For Expert - use highly structured reference –Enhance the user’s subject-matter background by including: Special glossary of background terms Index entries linking background terminology to program functions Special booklets/sections describing background concepts Elaborate examples with explanations of key concepts

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 89 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 5. Review User Analysis (Continued): –Leverage the User’s workplace –Meet the user’s learning preferences selecting from: Instructor learning Manual learning Computer-based learning –Meet the user’s usage pattern by determining which category is most appropriate Regular usage Intermittent usage Casual usage

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 810 Guidelines for Designing Documents (Continued) 6. Acknowledge Production Constraints 7. Design The Documentation As A System

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 811 Designing a Manual There are problems with printed books. There is controversy about what a manual or guide actually means. –The manual must aid in productivity in the workplace. –You guide the user in three ways: Guide the user to the manual Guide the user to the program Guide the user to the job

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 812 Designing a Manual (Continued) There are variables when it comes to the types of users. –Each type of user will react to your manual or help system differently. –This means that you must write to all levels and may have to write three separate manuals. There are variables with role-based types –We need to know what kinds of jobs the user performs with the software.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 813 Designing a Manual (Continued) There are variables with how people solve problems using computers. –The more we know about the common errors people make using computers, the more we can anticipate those errors and design documentation that will counteract them.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 814 Designing a Manual (Continued) –Research suggests keeping the following points in mind when considering how people solve problems related to the computer: No one reads carefully more than two sentences at a time. Most of the users begin to use the table of contents before they read the manual. Most users go to the manual or help only after they have failed to perform a task.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 815 Designing a Manual (Continued) –Research suggests keeping the following points in mind when considering how people solve problems related to the computer: (Continued) Most professionals consider introductions “useless information” and want to skip directly to the steps for doing. Replace the “introduction” with material designed to get them applying the system right away. Most readers do not read any section in its entirety.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 816 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation Navigation –Navigational aids are elements of a document that tell the reader where to go next. –Usually navigational statements are at the beginning of a manual. You can direct novice users to sections containing tutorials. Experienced users can be referred to sections containing procedures. Expert users can be referred to sections containing reference material.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 817 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Cross-References –Cross references point to other sections or chapters containing related information. –The difficulty lies in including page numbers of all your cross-references. Running Headers and Footers –Running headers and footers could consist of the page numbers and text information that occupy the top and bottom of a page.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 818 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Running Headers and Footers could contain a number of elements (Continued): –Chapter and section names and numbers –Book titles –Graphic cues and icons –Task names –Color to indicate sections

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 819 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Elements of running headers and footers: –Chapter and Section Names and Numbers This helps the user locate a specific page within the overall scheme of a manual. With chapters or sections you will usually use a sequential numbering and restart numbering with each section. –Book Titles Book titles allow the user to see quickly where the current page falls within the entire scheme of the documentation set.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 820 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Elements of running headers and footers (Continued): –Graphic Cues and Icons Graphics consist of icons, product logos, company logos, and other images that help orient the user to the overall design of the documentation. –Task Names

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 821 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Elements of running headers and footers (Continued): –Color to Indicate Sections You can use color bars in the header or footer to indicate specific sections To match pocket guides with user’s guides To cue specific kinds of information

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 822 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Layering (refers to having two versions of information on the page at once.) Suggestions for layering: –Put keyboard and mouse equivalents next to each other. –Put commands in the table of contents, along with the terms. –Put advanced instructions or definitions in tables alongside instructions for intermediate users. –Use one column of instructions for beginners and one for advanced users.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 823 Solutions to the Design Problem for Printed Documentation (Continued) Special devices for layering: speed boxes. –These allow readers to get information about dialog boxes, control panels settings and other interface elements quickly. –Headings

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 824 Headings Show Hierarchies Chapter Headings18 pt. bold non-serif –Section Headings14 pt. bold non- serif Topic Headings12 pt. bold non-serif –Task Name10 pt. bold non-serif Subtask name10 pt. non-serif

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 825 Headings Show Hierarchies

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 826 Document Overview You want to introduce concepts to users for the first time by showing them how to use the manual to find information. You could include in this section the following information: –Audience –Con tent –Organization –Scope (what hardware and software the program works on) –Navigational information

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 827 Parallel Structures and Patterns of Redundancy Parallelism reassures the user that the writer has sorted out the important information. It creates patterns of expectation so the reader learns how to use the document. In instructional materials, repeating information helps users remember. This is known as patterns of redundancy.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 828 Cuing Cuing refers to the technique of including visual patterns to make a certain kind of information memorable. Software documenters can use many elements as cuing devices in manuals, including: –Icons –Rules: Cuing with rules means using solid or gray-valued lines to indicate the hierarchical structure of information in a manual. –Fonts –Styles

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 829 Indexes and Tables of Contents Indexes and table of contents are consulted more than any other part of the manual. Often a manual will present the table of contents in more than one form: –An extended form including a great deal of detail for the uninitiated –An abbreviated form for the advanced user.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 830 Lists You may include a lists of figures and tables. Sometimes, you may wish to include a list of screens as an access tool for users. –A list of screens should appear early in your manual.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 831 Interrelated Examples You use interrelated examples when you follow the same example from one procedure to another. You should always use examples in a manual or help system. Using interrelated examples provides the following benefits: –Creates a learning curve. –Ties the document together. –Makes the writer’s job easier.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 832 Solutions to the Design Problem for Online Documentation Help systems provide many more tools for use by the user for finding information. Some of those tools include: –Non-Scrolling Regions Headings differ in online documentation because you can keep them in a region of the help page that doesn’t scroll.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 833 Solutions to the Design Problem for Online Documentation (Continued) Tools for creating online documentation –Keyword and Whole Text Searches Keyword searches refer to the ability of a help system to electronically find topics that the user types into a keyword search box. Whole-text searches find topics containing any word or combination of words the user types. –Links and Jumps Links and jumps in a help system allow users to go directly from one topic to a related topic. In a book or manual, you would make references using a cross-reference.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 834 Solutions to the Design Problem for Online Documentation (Continued) Tools for creating online documentation : –Popups provide a way to handle glossaries in an online system. –Context Sensitivity This allows a program to present information based on the current state of the program. It allows the user to go directly from a problem with a screen to a help topic that contains the solution. You have to put tags into the program to create context sensitivity.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 835 Solutions to the Design Problem for Online Documentation (Continued) Tools for creating online documentation: –Histories History buttons allow users to trace their steps. –Browse Sequences When you identify a series of related topics you can easily include the relationship in the form of a browse sequence. –Bookmarks/Annotation

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 836 Design Testing Decide on the document's objectives –Establish test criteria –Identify problem areas in the document –Inform your users –Choose the appropriate test: –pick the best page layout/fonts/sizes, etc. evaluate a draft of a tutorial or procedure rank document objectives evaluate table of contents rate graphics styles

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 837 Goals/Design Matrix This matrix can help you plan your documents so that multiple features meet the demands of multiple document goals. Use it as a way to fine-tune your design.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 838 Goals/Design Matrix (Continued) Instructions: In the column on the left, list brief statements of documentation goals. Across the top of the matrix, list the design features of your documents. Some of these may be titles of sections or specially designed task aids. Then, mark an X at the intersection of features and goals.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 839 Goals/Design Matrix (Continued) Instructions (Continued): Analyze your ideas: Which of the features seem to satisfy the most goals? Where can you compromise, where can you exploit? Share your work with another writer and discuss the results. Tell the possible implications for your document design.

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 840 Goals/Design Matrix (Continued) DESIGN FEATURES DOCUMENT GOALS

Designing for Task Orientation, Chp. 841 User Characteristics and Design Solutions Matrix