Enhancing Findability Unit 5 BBS First Year Business English

 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGBk21hzYfk

How to Enhance Findability

Users quickly get frustrated when they cannot find what they are looking for in the user manual. Often, this is because the keywords the writer has used are not the keywords that users may search for. Here are some guidelines that will help users find what they are looking for.

·        Organise information hierarchically.

·        Code the hierarchy with tabs, colours, etc.

·        Divide into sections ordered by:

§  Chronology of use.

§  Frequency of use.

§  Functional categories.

·        Expertise level (beginner vs. expert user).

·        Denote importance by using contrast, colour, shading, emboldening, etc.

·        Work with real users to identify likely keywords (these can be learned during usability testing).

·        Provide a keyword index using the terminology of the user.

·        Ensure that the index includes likely synonyms.

·        Provide a glossary of technical terms.

·        Include a (genuinely useful) troubleshooting section.

·        Use colour coding to aid navigation.

·        Make the quick start guide readily accessible.

·        Avoid unnecessarily cross-referencing other parts of the user manual. Avoid duplicate page numbering in multi-language guides (better still, avoid multi-language).

·        Display the help-line number.

How to Design Individual Pages in the User Manual

How to Design Individual Pages in the User Manual

In addition to effective instructing, the use of colour, the text and fonts used, and the icons and graphics can all either make for an easy experience or can derail the user. Here are some suggestions.

·        Ensure that font size is adequate (use at least a 12-point font).

·        Ensure high text-to-background contrast (black on white is best).

·        Use san-serif fonts.

·        Avoid using multiple font styles.

·        Font weight can be used sparingly to denote importance.

·        Use colour coding consistently.

·        Provide plenty of white space between sections and around images and paragraphs.

·        Provide a section (or margins) for the users to make their notes.

·        Use a consistent layout from page to page.

·        Test your use of colours to ensure they can be read by colour-blind users.

·        Avoid using saturated blue for text and small details, and never use blue on a red background.

How to Design a Physical Manual?

How to Design the Physical Manual?

User manuals are used in many different kinds of environments: they may be used indoors or outdoors, they may be used with good light or with dim light, and they may be used in a comfortable and user-friendly setting or in an environment that is hostile or even dangerous. Here are some basic guidelines to ensure your user manual will survive actual use.

·        Ensure that the user manual can lie flat on a work surface when opened.

·        Consider the environment of use and, if necessary, provide a robust user manual.

·        Consider whether the user needs to hold the user manual and work at the same time.

·        Provide durable covers and pages.

·        Consider whether the user manual needs to resist water, oil, dirt, grease, etc.

How to Create a Great First Impression?

How to Create a Great First Impression?

Many users never actually get as far as the user manual. It is often tossed aside as being either secondary or just too difficult to deal with. When this happens, the user, the product and the writing team all suffer in some way. To get past this point, the user manual must make a strong and positive first impression. These guidelines can help.

·        Avoid a textbook look (landscape formatting can be less threatening).

·        Use paper that is commensurate with the quality of the product.

·        Make purposeful and effective use of colour.

·        The user manual should not be too big or too heavy...

·        ...or too small or too flimsy.

·        Make effective use of pictures and diagrams.

·        Provide lots of white space.

* Include a help-line number. 

·        Use a clean, readable sans-serif font.

 

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