user focus Flashcards
what is user documentation?
any document that explains how to use the functions and features of a system to its end users.
who is an end user
the person who actually uses a particular product
why is user documentation important?
because it greatly impacts the speed of users learning and adapting to the new system
what are the types of user documentation
help files, online support and printed manuals
what are the help files
those are files supplied in the system - you can access them any time and it gives you general instructions on how to use the system and how to solve some major problems.
HOWEVER you can only use it after installing the system, they don’t give any help when installing the solution, they deal with only very general errors and they often lack the search function.
what is online support?
that is when you call or write to people who are hired by the system programmers to help and explain how to do something.
major pros is the fact that it makes the process of troubleshooting easier and that it gets updated so that users can easily access the most popular solutions.
BUT it doesn’t work without internet and also another problem might be if user is too unfamiliar to the problem that they are trying to solve and cannot describe it clearly to the hired helper.
what are printed…
just tell the pros and cons you know what they are anyway.
pros of printed manuals: always available, helpful
BUT can be lost or destroyed, it cannot be updated and it’s usually pretty limited in content.
what are the ways of user training?
self-instruction, formal classes, online training.
what are the pros and cons of self-instruction?
lowest cost and less resources needed, flexible and tailored to exactly what user wants to learn.
HOWEVER there is needed some discipline from the user because it is easy to get lost or ignore/overlook some things when learning.
what are the pros and cons of formal classes?
pros: held by an expert, covers the full guidance theory and structured.
BUT it is expensive, less personalised and a bit too generalised
what are the pros and cons of online training?
pros would be the way it is structured, hosted by and expert, more flexible.
BUT it’s expensive, has to be computer based and can feel “remote”
what is offsite storage?
cloud type of thing. like storage online.
