atw: Re: Screenshots in user doco - Yes or No?

Craig Bligh wrote:


I've argued that adding screenshots will push the ref guide from about 450 pages to around 650-700, making it less likely that somebody will pick up the doco in the first place. (I did also argue that since screens change every other day, it's a nightmare to maintain.)
So from a user's point of view, is it more user-friendly to include screenshots for a novice reader? 


We provide screenshots for two main reasons: (1) if the
interface is sufficiently busy that an overall view of screens/
pages would be helpful to the reader, or (2) to provide a
graphic view of progress in a task to help readers verify
that the state of their screen is appropriate. However,
under no circumstances do we allow screenshots to
substitute for step-by-step procedural information.

<soapbox>Our style guide also advises against providing screenshots
and a page-by-page, menu-by-menu description of an interface.
We prefer that writers integrate the features of the interface in the
procedures in which the features are used. Very few readers look at
screens/pages or menus in order to see what's on them. Mostly, readers
only care where something is in an interface when they need to use it
to accomplish a task.</soapbox>

-- Janice
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