Online Help supports your current business processes with the latest information and enables managers, staff, and customers to operate effectively.

Online Help directly addresses major issues surrounding information delivery via paper manuals:

• Accuracy-An out-of-date or poorly organized print manual can make finding the correct information frustrating and time-consuming. Online Help can be updated at a central source and distributed easily and quickly across a network.
• Accessibility-Even the most complete, up-to-date manuals will sit unused on the shelf if you can't easily integrate information from various sources. Online Help can be linked to other information sources on your company intranet and the Internet.
• Cost-Frequent reprintings to update manuals to match changes in your business are costly and inefficient. Online Help has no paper, and therefore no printing costs. Simply update and redistribute across a network.

By applying the basic principles of good information design, Documentation Strategies significantly improves your information delivery via Online Help:

Know Your Audience(s)

• How will users access the Online Help? (e.g. stand alone document(s), context-sensitive information integrated into an application, intranet document, Internet web site document).
• Are there any plans for re-purposing the data for other users?
• Audience definition will guide decisions about navigation, content and the tools you will use to build and maintain Online Help.

Design the Content

• Concise instructions that guide the user step-by-step are most appropriate for helping online readers complete the task at hand.
• Short, consistently formatted units of text facilitate online reading and topic maintenance.
• Cross-references to related Help topics allow users to readily integrate additional pieces of information.

Consider Navigation

• A well-organized structure for the Help topics is essential for users to find online information quickly, with as few "hops" as possible.
• Index terminology should be commonly recognized by users. Ideally, language should be reinforced by training, both in the business processes, and in the software interface.
• Word search capability could be added if the information is particularly dense.

Select the Tools

• The appropriate Help authoring tool is key to pulling together all audience, navigation and content needs you've identified.
• Many authoring tools are available, each with advantages, disadvantages and capabilities. For example, some even have a "single source" capability that easily converts the Help for a different platform.

For all information projects, Documentation Strategies applies sound design principles to optimize the value of the communications. The Documentation Strategies team works with you to identify audience needs, knowledge, environment and expectation; determine content and navigation; and recommend the appropriate tools to complete the project.

Christine Simson can be reached at simson@docstrats.com