Documentation usability

[Melroy D'Souza]

Hi,

We are trying to determine the best way to present information in a user's
manual on three different form factors of a product sold to business users
(not home users). For example, PCs or computer cases can come as a desktop
unit (horizontal), a mid-tower unit (vertical) or a full-tower unit
(vertical), but with the same internal components. Is it better to present
information on all the three cases in a single manual, or have a separate
manual for each of the form factors? I realize there are several factors
that one might need to consider, but considering the usability of that
information for a corporate or business user, what is the best way of doing
this?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Melroy

[Gary Bunker]

Melroy D'Souza wrote:

It depends on the amount of convergence.

At one end of the scale you have three very similar sets of information,
following the same structure and basic content but with differing examples and
maybe steps down at the lower end. If that's the case then you are definitely
better off building one manual and diverging the examples when you come to
them.

At the other end of the scale you have three radically different products with
radically different information structures (ie this task applies to products 1
and 3 but not 2). In that case your document will quickly become unusable and
will frustrate the hell out of your user - the index alone would make a grown
man cry.

But your product is likely to be somewhere inbetween, and that's the tricky
bit... In my experience I would suggest that if 90% of the content is the same
or extremely similar for all versions then you will be able to get away with
one doc. Anything less than that and I'd seriously reconsider separating them
out.

You do however have another option. Tools like Wextech Systems Doc-to-help
allow you to conditionally print (and output to help files) content in your
manuals - so that in one case you can print all the 'product 1' examples and
chapters, then produce a second run to print all the 'product 2' examples, with
the generic content coming out in each print.

Now, before you smile, that's extremely difficult to get just right, but it can
be done. It takes customisation of your word templates and some extremely
careful document planning and template design, but it can be done.

Hope that helps,

Gary

[Pete Lockhart]

Considering the usability aspect only, the best way is to have a separate
and specific manual for each form factor -- and include only that manual
with the respective form factor.

I can think of no user-centered justification for providing information that
is irrelevant to the particular product that the user has.

Pete

Melroy D'Souza <alt...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7pda6j$nr$1...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net...

> Hi,
>
> We are trying to determine the best way to present information in a user's
> manual on three different form factors of a product sold to business users
> (not home users). For example, PCs or computer cases can come as a
desktop
> unit (horizontal), a mid-tower unit (vertical) or a full-tower unit
> (vertical), but with the same internal components. Is it better to
present
> information on all the three cases in a single manual, or have a separate
> manual for each of the form factors? I realize there are several factors
> that one might need to consider, but considering the usability of that
> information for a corporate or business user, what is the best way of
doing
> this?

[Gary Bunker]

Pete Lockhart wrote:

> Considering the usability aspect only, the best way is to have a separate
> and specific manual for each form factor -- and include only that manual
> with the respective form factor.
>
> I can think of no user-centered justification for providing information that
> is irrelevant to the particular product that the user has.

You are right Pete, there is NO user-centered justification for merging manuals
in this way.

My point though is that in the real world, user-centered justifications take
their place amongst the hoard of business justifications and resource
constraints... If you've ever had to manage a documentation team for a software
company, you'd know that the vast investment in producing and maintaining
several document sets for a single product or product line can literally cripple
the team, and therefore the company as a whole.

Gary