From user assistance to user guidance: Information apps

From UA to UG
Information Apps
Jang F.M. Graat
Amsterdam
© 2014 - JANG Communication - Amsterdam, Netherlands

who's talking ?
Jang F.M. Graat
Psychology, Philosophy
25+ years Tech Comm
self-taught professional
DITA, XSLT, JS, PHP, AJAX
addicted to challenge

what is this tutorial about ?
user assistance
user guidance
business intelligence
information apps
procedure apps

rules of minimalism
only what users need
action-oriented
support error recovery

optimizing user assistance
printed manual
help file
context-sensitive help
user analysis/personas
progressive disclosure
embedded help

optimizing production
topic-based authoring
single-sourcing
automated transforms
conditional content
personalizing info
feedback mechanisms

what is the real problem?
interpretations differ
overestimating skills
conditional/optional items
outdated knowledge
agile development

optimizing the work
user & task analysis
procedure leads the user
reduce learning curve
standardize the work
basis for planning

procedural knowledge
operating manuals
online tutorials
training courses
learning from colleagues
learning by trial and error

implicit assumptions
people follow rules
all products are identical
all workers are equal
there is no time pressure
the sun is always shining

procedures in real life
cutting corners
skipping steps
local circumstances
emergency situations
full/reliable reporting ?

modern technology
interactive media
dynamic content
only show applicable steps
usage & input tracking
automatically collect data

progressive disclosure
true minimalist info
show info step by step
force sign-offs
avoid skipping steps
track performance

only show applicable steps
allowing user input
highlight choice
hide non-applicable steps
reveal only next step
reset states on changes

other input types & sources
html5 input elements
sanity checks on input
using other data sources
hidden input methods
check device specs/settings

quite a challenge

keeping track of steps
like programming
check all possible paths
exponential complexity
“spaghetti code”
very hard to maintain

creating flowcharts

basic nodes
start
process
decision
yes/no
multiple choices
end

start : first step
<div id=“step1”>
<p class="mybutton"
onClick=“showStep(next);”>
Start
</p>
</div>

process : step with sign-off
<title>Do something</title>
<p class="mybutton"
onClick=“showStep(next);”>
OK
</p>
</div>

decision : choices
<step id=“step3”>
<title>Does it work ?</title>
<p class=“mybutton”
onClick=“showStep(A)”>Yes</p>
<p class=“mybutton”
onClick=“showStep(B)”>No</p>
</step>

end : no further actions
<title>You are done.</title>
</div>

transformation
!
<title>Replacing the oil</title>
<body>
<div class=“context”>
<p>Checking the oil level will prevent serious !
! damage and does not require tools.</p>
</div>
<div class=“procedure”>
<div class=“step” id="step1">
<p class=“cmd”>Remove the oil inlet cap</p>
<p class=“info”>The oil inlet cap is on the bottom !
! right side of the engine.</p>
</div>
<p class=“cmd”>Remove dipstick.</p>
</div>
<p class=“cmd”>What is the bike model?</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td>Softail</td>
<td>Continue with step 4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>FSCWC</td>
<td>Continue with step 5</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>!

time for a demo !

optimizing the business
product improvement
predictive maintenance
service staff planning
equipment optimization
service staff education
customer training

how to get the data
usability research
customer feedback
helpdesk history
service staff reports
surveys

<DIB>
app building blocks

one server connects all

capturing/reusing data

questions ?
Jang F.M. Graat
Amsterdam, NL
jang@jang.nl
@4everJang
www.jang.nl

From user assistance to user guidance: Information apps

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