Creating an Online Help System for Logical Ink

Peggy HarveyENG 675

April 20, 2010

Background Problem Initial Concerns Decisions and Challenges

Result What’s Next

Agenda

Logical Progression is a start-up company that provides tablet-based software solutions

Logical Ink is an electronic charting solution for healthcare

Background

Provide documentation for the new version of Logical Ink Server

Prior versions were configured by Logical Progression staff

New version is a Web portal intended to give end users access to the server backend

Help system integrated into product more likely to be used by audience

Problem

I’m not a Logical Progression employee.

I’m not regularly on site. Disconnect between the Logical Ink Server development schedule and my ENG 675 deadlines.

Initial Concerns

Chris was very supportive of my project and wanted me to succeed.

Chris provided information whenever I needed it.

For ENG 675, I developed the Help system completely from the product specification.

Initial Concerns Alleviated

Type of Help system? Level of quality? Design elements? Navigation elements? Content to include or exclude?

What…

Help system: HTML Help Quality: Basic, version 1.0 (ENG 518) Design: Simple (ENG 517, ENG 508) Navigation: Cross-references, hyperlinks, index

Decisions

Focus on what users need (ENG 512) Usable, useful content (ENG 508) Task-centered, minimalist approach based on user scenarios (ENG 518)

Effective information architecture (ENG 518)

Consistency to accommodate non-linear format

Content

How much contextual information do users need?

What level of detail should be included?

What kind of information are users looking for?

Challenge: No Usability Studies

Creating a Help system requires authoring tools

Incorporate best practices Wanted to use a long-term, maintainable process

How…

Effectively building a tech comm department on my own

Had to develop the entire documentation process from the ground up

Challenge #1: No Precedent

XML architecture “Chunks” information into individual topics

Single-sourcing Reuse Human-readable files

DITA – Darwin Information Typing Architecture

DITA is complicated and very difficult to learn on your own

Didn’t know where to start Tried to learn Structured FrameMaker interface at same time

Eventually ran out of time

Challenge #2: DITA

After DITA failed, still had learning curve with backup solution

Needed to re-teach myself FrameMaker

Dealt with technological issues as they came

Challenge #3: Tools

Working, functional Help system based on the product specification

Lack of user data means Help system 1.0 is in effect a test system

Result

Match Help system to the actual product

Add context-sensitive hooks Usability testing on product and documentation

Hand-off of source files to Logical Progression

What’s Next?

Thank You