An Embedded Help Case Study February 2000 Meeting

led by Cheryl Lockett Zubak written by Zippy Goldberg Originally published in News & Views October, 1999 issue. Copyright 1999 STC-Philadelphia Metro Chapter. For permission to reprint this article, contact the Managing Editor.

At the STC-PMC September meeting, Cheryl Lockett Zubak, an STC-PMC member and recognized specialist on user assistance, spoke to sixty-five attendees about embedded help design and presented examples of software products with embedded help. Embedded help is user assistance that is planned during software development and built into the software interface. It is a persistent aspect of the software, not just information in a separate window that may float above or behind the software. It is automatically evoked when a user requires assistance and knowledge. Help can be embedded into: a physical aspect of an application, the most common being steps and tips in a dialog box processes and instructed processes; for example, context-sensitive help and wizards conceptual information to teach the user about the interface or to add to the user's domain knowledge interpreted processes; for example, help offered when the software detects that a user is trying to perform a certain task Embedded help approaches Most modern software includes some type of embedded assistance. The traditional approach includes tool tips, option descriptions, short text remarks, and steps built into dialogs and windows. The persistent right pane is the most common embedded window. The user does not have to reach for help; it becomes as familiar as the interface and is an authoritative aspect of the interface. On the down side, this type of embedded help is not terribly dynamic and may not support an experienced user. To integrate the help into the software, the help author must work in the development system or rely on the programmer or user interface designer. Some software enables users to hide and show embedded help when it is not needed or when it is the wrong help. There is also some discussion in help development on categorizing users by "level" of experience or knowledge. Cheryl said that she does not favor this approach because it is too difficult and expensive to get an accurate assessment. New technologies for creating embedded help Embedded help is gaining increased attention as newer technologies such as HTML Help (Internet Explorer) and JavaHelp have made it easier and cheaper to include in the software. HTML Help uses a dynamic link library (DLL) or object linking and embedding custom control (OCX) which is easier for programmers to manage than an executable (EXE). HTML Help also has an application program interface (API) for more advanced control over sending messages between help and software. Case studies Microsoft Products Microsoft has played a leading role in popularizing and exposing embedded help. It started creating customized embedded interfaces for non-computer literate consumers in its Works and Publisher applications using a set of development tools called Media View. Works, an Office-type product for home businesses and users, employs several types of embedded help: a persistent right pane, wizards, option descriptions, help contents, panes with tabs, shrinkable help, and automatic document resizing. Publisher, a desktop publishing package for home users, has a stationary embedded help window and a wizard-like interface for document creation that users can exit as needed. It also provides an index for navigation with the embedded help pane. In its Money '99 financial management application, Microsoft uses compiled HTML Help files in a custom Internet Explorer embedded window on the right side of the application window. The window includes a custom toolbar, table of contents, and index. Users may query the help system using natural language. Perhaps the best known example of Microsoft's embedded help is the Windows' Office Assistant (clip figure), which acts as an interface to the search engine. It tries to interpret the help that a user needs based on the user's action and the state of the software using artificial intelligence and Bayesian reasoning. Office Assistant is a social interface oriented to new users. Other Products Cheryl is the co-developer of a freeware set of utilities for help authors called KeyTools that includes embedded help through an HTML interface (not a web user interface). KeyTools uses embedded field help, a hide-and-show embedded help pane, HTML pop-ups, and a non-embedded tripane help window. Another product that combines embedded help with a non-embedded, tripane help window is AutoDesk's AutoCAD Lite 2000, a computer-aided design application. For more information on embedded help For additional information, see the web sites in Cheryl's article in the September issue. Cheryl also recommends STC- PMC member Craig Marion's site: www.chesco.com/~cmarion. In addition, she recommends these books: Enhanced Performance Support Systems by Gloria Gery, The Nurnberg Funnel and Beyond the Nurnberg Funnel by John Carroll.

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