atw: Re: Screenshots in user doco - Yes or No?
- From: ryan_baker@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:38:18 +1000
Hi all,
I have to admit I'm not a fan of screenshots, especially in reference
material. It comes down to having an idea of how your users relate to your
material, but it seems to me that a reference manual by definition is used
as a reference, therefore the user is "usually" looking at the screen
anyway, so doesn't need that extra visual cue. So localisation and
maintenance costs aside, I still don't see benefits for printed
documentation.
Just because I love contradictions though, I think adding small areas of a
screen into printed documentation can be effective if you are highlighting
a process or visually illustrating how to perform a task using annotation
on the image or a series of images, but this obviously depends very much
on your audience and the task you are trying to accomplish. I know I have
had to perform this several times in my work. The added advantage of using
smaller sections of a screen is that you can sometimes avoid areas where
text exists in the interface (localisation benefits) or reduce the chance
that a UI change will affect your small area of displayed screen
(maintenance benefit).
So to answer your question Craig, yes it can be more beneficial for a
novice reader to include screenshots if done correctly.
Ryan
-----------------------------------
Ryan Baker
Technical Communicator
Moldflow Pty. Ltd.
259-261 Colchester Rd,
Kilsyth 3137 VIC, Australia
Office: +61 3 9720 2088
Direct: +61 3 9751 8142
Janice Gelb <janice.gelb@xxxxxxx>
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03/29/2006 02:04 PM
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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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