GettingUsers Started Getting Users Started Instructor: Glenda H. Easter ITSW 1410, Presentation Media Software

A Meaningful First Step for Everyone 4 Every manual should have a Welcome or Read Me First section directing people where to start with a product. 4 An installation guide explains how to get a product ready to start. 4 Getting Started is essential for beginning and intermediate users. 4 A Quick Start Guide is effective with advanced users.

Meaningful First Step (Continued) 4 A disk based guided tour helps those who are fearful of computers. 4 A video is great if you have new features and tricks you want to promote.

Welcome Your Readers 4 A welcome section should capture each audience and put them on the correct path. 4 Soothe harried installers in your welcome section.

Installation Guide 4 Installation is the number one technical support problem. 4 Some companies change the procedures without changing the instructions. 4 Let your readers know what equipment that will best accommodate your software. 4 Aim the installation guide at all users. 4 Provide both detailed two kinds of installations instructions:  Detailed for novice  General for experienced users.

Installation Guide (Continued): 4 As writer of installation instructions, you need to provide the context for your readers. 4 Tell them which equipment the software has been designed for. 4 Tell the user how to perform a customized installation. 4 Tell the user what information they will need during the installation process.

Anticipate Problems That Never Arise 4 You don’t have the code numbers? 4 You don’t know where you want to store your program? 4 You don’t know what computer configuration is required? 4 You don’t know how much disk space is required?

Keep It Simple 4 Provide clear instructions. 4 Separate the steps users must perform from the explanations and test the sequence of instructions again and again. 4 Don’t give multiple ways to perform a task. 4 Don’t detour the reader about “neat new features.”

Start Beginners Smoothly 4 You don’t know why the user is using the product, so make sure that you have a structured introduction. 4 The “Getting Started” is virtually needed for all users.

And You Wonder Why the Customer is Frustrated? 4 You want the user to work with you and not against you. Win them over with your “Getting Started” instructions.

What Is Getting Started? 4 Getting started is a structured introduction to using the product. 4 It can take many forms--tutorials, procedures, or useful directions. 4 “Getting Started” should do just that--get a user from standing still to moving. 4 The tasks in the “Getting Started” must be central to the user’s understanding.

Getting Started One final point: 4 It is most useful when you can guide the learner through by having them to complete an example you’ve started but not yet finished. This is especially the case when there is a great deal of typing involved.

Giving Advanced Users a Quick Start 4 A “Quick Start” is for knowledgeable, experienced, confident users. These users are sometimes called power users. 4 A “Quick Start” should be condensed and provide only the “how to” steps.

Quick Starts Are the Following 4 The user has used an earlier version of the product and only needs to know about the new features. 4 The user is familiar with the task domain and they are interested in how this program handles familiar tasks. 4 They are in a hurry to benefit from the product. 4 They read only the minimum to get going.

What Is a Quick Start? A Quick Start booklet (rarely in a manual section)--except for this class provides:  a bare-bones installation guide.  a general overview.  a quick set of basic procedures.

What Is a Quick Install? 4 A quick install is a stripped-down version of the installation instructions. 4 They are a written guide that may only list the information to be gathered before installing and provide page references. 4 Try to make a Quick Install no longer than one page. 4 A quick install normally performs most housekeeping and setup tasks automatically.

Follow The Rule of Three Give the user only three things to remember: 4 Here are the menus for these functions. 4 Here are the commands you will use most frequently. 4 Try this first, then make your own choices.

Concentrate on the Large Picture Tell your readers the following: 4 How to set up what needs to be set up. 4 How to operate the program. 4 How to finish with a printout or some other desired result.

Critical Sequence of Actions 4 If the interface employs a critical sequence of actions, or if the program requires a particular concept be grasped, put the subject in its own section.

Brainstorming a Quick Start 4 The Quick Start is set up in stages. 4 Each stage offers productive use of the software and builds on the previous stage. 4 The user should get increasing use out of the product over time.

Guide Readers on a Tour 4 Don’t make your readers feel like they’ve been run over with a train. 4 A tour guide is an introduction to the look and feel of a program.

What is a Tour Guide? 4 A guided tour can illustrate and explain a program’s interface using a series of pictures. 4 What type of pictures do you use?  Screen Shots with callouts  Diagrams of the program structure  Short descriptions of key benefits  Summaries of key activities

Should I Devote a Great Deal of Time with a Guided Tour? 4 If you devote 6-12 (six to twelve) pages to a guided tour, you have used your pages wisely, especially if you are working with users who are new to the computer or the product.

Other Introductory Materials? 4 Videos and interactive tours on disk provide an accessible and attractive introduction to a product. 4 At a basic level, such materials can show people what the program looks like.

When Should I Include a Tour in My Documentation? Use in your documentation suite when you want to: 4 Present the program’s main features with ease of use. 4 Powerfully illustrate the benefits of the program. 4 Communicate the feel of the program. 4 Overcome reading problems of audience.

Coordinate Your Work with a Disk Tour 4 If the user is uncertain of how they wish to cover the material, you may want to use a computer-disk tour. 4 The after-purchase tour starts training people in ways to understand and use the product.

Final Wrap-Up 4 Welcome your readers 4 A welcome section gets the user on the right track fast.

Final Wrap-Up 4 When getting users started, your installation guide should:  Address both expert and beginning audiences.  Leave nothing out.  Anticipate most problems and avoid them.  Make the process simple.

Final Wrap Up 4 Your “Getting Started” booklet or chapter should:  Illustrate the main aspects of the product.  Engage people with realistic tasks,  Tell people what to do first, second, and third when beginning to use a product.

Final Wrap Up If you prepare a Quick Start:  Aim it at advanced users.  Use broad strokes, or tell them how to concentrate on the big picture.  Tell users where to go next.  Tell beginners what to use instead.

Final Wrap Up A Tour Guide should:  Point out the highlights of the product.  Familiarize newcomers with the lay of the land.  Record messages in the most appropriate medium on the subject to meet the needs of your overall audience.

Have You Got It All Together? 4 You want your manual to stop all questions that the audience could encounter. 4 If you’ve performed that task, as Porky Pig would say…. “Da, Da, Dhat’s all folks.”