1 Technical & Business Writing (ENG-715) Muhammad Bilal Bashir UIIT, Rawalpindi

Outline 1. Guidelines for Designing Procedures 3. Choose the appropriate instructional format 4. Follow a rhythm of exposition 5. Test all procedures for testing 2. Summary 2

Writing to Guide - Procedures Lecture: 10 3

3. Choose the Appropriate Procedural Format The well-designed procedure should follow one or two accepted formats for instruction or a format of your own design It is a good idea to stick to one type of format but you may find great deal of a variation and inconsistency in manuals these days There are three formats we will discuss;  Standard Format  Prose Format  Parallel Format 4

Standard Format The standard format consists of steps, notes, screens and other elements aligned on the left margin and continuing in either one or two columns, in a numbered sequence, from first step to last The advantage of standard format lies in fact that users have seen it in software manuals Advantages  Recognizable by users  Easy to flow from one page to another  Easy to remember and test  Easy to see the steps using hanging indent 5

Standard Format (Continue…) Disadvantages  Make a lot of space for really simple and brief procedure  Confusing, if u have to mix complex steps with simple steps, the user in this case can lose track while handling difficult interface item 6

Standard Format (Example) This screenshot shows an instance of standard format from the Help of Microsoft Word 7

Prose Format This format for instructions puts the steps in sentences and paragraph form instead of the command-oriented, numbered pattern found in the standard format The prose format uses sentences instead of command verbs This format occurs fairly commonly in programs with relatively simple tasks and a simple interface The prose format uses bold or italics to indicate command verbs 8

Prose Format (Continue…) Advantages  Use a conversational, relax tone  Saves space  Clarifies simple, basic steps  Accommodates experienced users Disadvantages  Buries steps in the paragraph  Precludes lengthy explanation of individual steps 9

Parallel Format This format comes in handy when you have a program that uses complicated data fields or dialog boxes It works well when the user needs to fill out a form. The parallel format shows the screen with fields empty and parallels the field names in the steps that follow Each of the step indicates the user what information to include in each field There is one step for each field usually 10

Parallel Format (Continue…) If you find it necessary that your users need a procedure in parallel format, the following directions can be used to set it up  Keep the terminology consistent  Cue the terms to the screen  Discuss one screen item at a time  Use plenty of examples  Introduce the idea and explain the conventions used 11

Parallel Format (Continue…) Advantages  Can help your users stay organized  Works best when shorter procedures  Good for filling out complicated screens and dialog boxes Disadvantages  Does not provide information in step-by-step task oriented manner  It is specialized format so cannot be used for all procedures  May confuse users who can get lost moving between steps and screens  Has to fit on one page 12

Parallel Format (Example) This screenshot shows an instance of parallel format to explain how to change Font from Microsoft Word 13

Embedded Help Press F1 to call up for Help and the help system knows the location of your in the program by using embedded help  The help program will display information appropriate for that location Some systems use a design called “flyout” help that provides procedures at the time of need Embedded help can come in a number of formats and types 14

Embedded Help (Continue…) Types and formats of Embedded help  Flyout help: Help that appears in a box or panel on the screen at the user’s request  Interactive flyout help: This form of flyout help monitors the user’s program in filling out a dialog box and highlights one step at a time until the procedure is complete  Field-level help: Help that provides information on how to enter information in fields  Pop-up definitions: Pop-up definitions provide brief definitions of interface elements activated by a mouse click 15

4. Follow a Rhythm of Exposition A pattern of step, note, and illustration  First I give command for the step.  Then I say how the program will respond.  Then I illustrate what happened.  Then I tell the next step. The basic idea of rhythm of exposition likes in the action/operation pattern Computer programs work in the way: Take an action, the system responds 16

5. Test All Procedures for Usability During project development you will most likely test your procedures to gauge whether the pacing and the format convention  Once the format is settled, the testing does not stop As a designer and writer of procedure, you must see that your description accurately reflect the program Every procedure should be tested Tests of this type are called evaluative tests  After you finish the procedure, you have an actual user, or a prototype of the user, or yourself as a last resort, perform the steps 17

Recap (Guidelines for Designing Procedures) There are five guidelines in order to design a Procedure; 1. Relate the task to meaningful workplace actions 2. Determine how much information your user needs 3. Choose the appropriate instructional format 4. Follow a rhythm of exposition 5. Test all procedures for testing 18

19 Summary Any Questions?