[MKDoc-users] Re: MKDoc test account details

[Chris Croome]

Hi

I've copied this to the MKDoc users list since it's probably the best
place for the discussion.

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  http://lists.webarch.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/mkdoc-users

On Sun 03-Feb-2002 at 07:15:03 +0100, Renato Feijó wrote:
> 
> Well, I think that simply writing help pages is recognizing that the system
> is not intuitive to use. And, as it is presented by Florian, it fulfills
> only the initial needs of the beginner user. 

Perhaps we should have a help tips option for each user, set to
beginners at first and with a more advanced option and a none option,
like this:

Help tips [ beginners ]
          [ advanced  ]
          [ none      ]

> Manual pages can stand there for those purposes (with all the
> step-by-step how-tos) and beginners should be driven to them. For the
> expert user, however, those hot spots near the form fields could
> contain tips and techniques that provide a way to improve her
> efficiency and productivity, for example.
> 
> Help pages are helpful only for a while, or for a punctual need. If
> the the user interface/interaction design is flawed, no help page will
> be of help.  I'd rather spend the time and effort thinking about the
> ways the system could better support the users' tasks and goals...

Agreed.

Chris

> Florian Hartling:
> 
> > hi everybody.
> > 
> > i think, a very good way to make the editor-interface _very easy_ to use
> > would be to include some of the help-stuff in the editor-page. something
> > like that:
> > 
> > -----------------modify the content page----------------------------
> > the content of a mkdoc-page consist of different components. a component can
> > be some text, an image, some html-code, a file, a poll or a link. a page can
> > have as many components as you want and they can all be of a different type.
> > these components are listet one below the other.
> > 
> > to add a component you have to choose the type of that component by using
> > the "new component"-field. (please notice that you can add up to nine
> > components of the same type at once) press "add component" in order to
> > generate the empty components. fill in these components just like and press
> > "modify content" in order to add new content.
> > 
> > [and then a help-text below EVERY component like that:]
> > 
> > a link component need three different kinds of informations:
> > the adress is obious, you should display the site, that the uri should point
> > to, in your browser and copy the adress directely in this form-field.
> > please provide a meaningful title for this link (this is what will be
> > displayed on your mkdoc-page) and a good description (this would be
> > displayed on your mkdoc-page as well, a sentence or two should give your
> > visitors quite an impression what the linked site is about]
> > 
> > hit "up" in order to move the component one position up and "down" to move
> > it one position down (thats quite obvious, isn't it?!?) hit "delete" if you
> > want to erase the whole component: the informations in the component as well
> > as the component-field.
> > 
> > you can always edit all conmponents that are displayed on a page at the same
> > time. hit  "modify component" in order to submit your changes.
> > 
> > -----------------modify the content page----------------------------
> > 
> > texts like that should be displayed near every possibly form-field. so
> > someone should always be able to read everything he/she needs to fill out
> > the forms correct right near the specific field....
> > 
> > and i still think that it would be great to have a detailled
> > step-by-step-explanation: given there is a specific problem like "i want to
> > build up a beatles-fanpage with some fotos and texts". and you have a
> > descritption of that progress with screenshots a.s.o.

-- 
Chris Croome                                         <chris@mkdoc.com>
MKDoc                                                http://mkdoc.com/