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Creating an Online Help System for Logical Ink
Peggy HarveyENG 675
April 20, 2010
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Background Problem Initial Concerns Decisions and Challenges
Result What’s Next
Agenda
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Logical Progression is a start-up company that provides tablet-based software solutions
Logical Ink is an electronic charting solution for healthcare
Background
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Provide documentation for the new version of Logical Ink Server
Prior versions were configured by Logical Progression staff
New version is a Web portal intended to give end users access to the server backend
Help system integrated into product more likely to be used by audience
Problem
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I’m not a Logical Progression employee.
I’m not regularly on site. Disconnect between the Logical Ink Server development schedule and my ENG 675 deadlines.
Initial Concerns
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Chris was very supportive of my project and wanted me to succeed.
Chris provided information whenever I needed it.
For ENG 675, I developed the Help system completely from the product specification.
Initial Concerns Alleviated
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Type of Help system? Level of quality? Design elements? Navigation elements? Content to include or exclude?
What…
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Help system: HTML Help Quality: Basic, version 1.0 (ENG 518) Design: Simple (ENG 517, ENG 508) Navigation: Cross-references, hyperlinks, index
Decisions
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Focus on what users need (ENG 512) Usable, useful content (ENG 508) Task-centered, minimalist approach based on user scenarios (ENG 518)
Effective information architecture (ENG 518)
Consistency to accommodate non-linear format
Content
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How much contextual information do users need?
What level of detail should be included?
What kind of information are users looking for?
Challenge: No Usability Studies
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Creating a Help system requires authoring tools
Incorporate best practices Wanted to use a long-term, maintainable process
How…
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Effectively building a tech comm department on my own
Had to develop the entire documentation process from the ground up
Challenge #1: No Precedent
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XML architecture “Chunks” information into individual topics
Single-sourcing Reuse Human-readable files
DITA – Darwin Information Typing Architecture
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DITA is complicated and very difficult to learn on your own
Didn’t know where to start Tried to learn Structured FrameMaker interface at same time
Eventually ran out of time
Challenge #2: DITA
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After DITA failed, still had learning curve with backup solution
Needed to re-teach myself FrameMaker
Dealt with technological issues as they came
Challenge #3: Tools
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Working, functional Help system based on the product specification
Lack of user data means Help system 1.0 is in effect a test system
Result
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Match Help system to the actual product
Add context-sensitive hooks Usability testing on product and documentation
Hand-off of source files to Logical Progression
What’s Next?
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Thank You