EXERCISE 11.1
Write a manual page for making a cup
of coffee. Assume your user has no experience but
will recognize a cup, a kettle, a spoon, etc. Swap
your manual with a partner. Does your partner's
manual give you sufficient instruction to make the
cup of coffee? Discuss improvements with your partner
and agree on a final version of the manual.
answer
First you have to decide upon the level
of granularity at which you are going to work. The
aim of the exercise is to demonstrate that it is not
as straightforward as it might seem to provide instructions
even for a very familiar and well-understood task.
Given this, it is most helpful to assume that the
user knows very little. The example solution (Table
Ex11.1) assumes that the user will recognize objects
(perhaps they are labelled) and understands common
actions and directions, but not the specific actions
required here. Alternatively you could choose to assume
that the user does know how to turn on a tap and open
a jar.
N.B. The two options could be expanded
further if required. Other alternatives could be included,
such as getting water from another source.
Table Ex11.1 - Coffee
making manual
| Manual for making a cup of coffee |
|---|
| Required: |
an automatic electric kettle, a jar of instant coffee powder or granules, a mug, a teaspoon, a mains water tap (or an alternative source of water), a mains electricity supply, milk (optional), sugar (optional). |
| CAUTION: |
Electricity can be dangerous - avoid any contact between electric connections and water.
Boiling water can scald - take care. |
| To boil water: |
Ensure plug on kettle is not connected to mains electricity supply.
Remove lid from kettle.
Place kettle directly beneath spout of tap.
Turn tap handle anticlockwise to release water.
When water reaches mark labelled 'full' on kettle turn tap handle clockwise to close off water supply.
Replace kettle lid.
Move kettle to proximity of mains electricity supply.
Place kettle's plug into electricity socket.
Press button marked 'on' on top of kettle to switch kettle on.
When the water has boiled, the kettle will switch off automatically and the 'on' button will return to its original position with a click.
Remove kettle's plug from electricity socket. |
| To make coffee: |
Take jar of coffee and remove lid by turning anticlockwise.
Fill teaspoon with coffee.
Place contents of teaspoon in cup.
Replace lid on coffee jar and turn clockwise to tighten.
Pour boiling water from the kettle into the cup up to approximately 1/2 an inch from the top.
Add milk if required (to almost fill cup).
Add sugar if required.
Stir coffee mixture with spoon.
The coffee is now ready to drink. |
The discussion should focus on the assumptions
that are made. You should make a conscious decision
about what assumptions to make, rather than making
them by default. This should ensure that the assumptions
that are made are appropriate to the particular user.
You could also contrast your answers
here, based on the material in this chapter, with
the 'making tea' manual in Chapter 15. How useful
do you feel task analysis is in designing a manual?
EXERCISE 11.2
Find a computer application that you
have never used before. Attempt to learn to use it
using only the online support. Is there enough information
to allow you to use the application effectively? Is
the information easy to find? What improvements (if
any) would you suggest?
answer
This is an investigative exercise for
which there is no example solution. Possible systems
to consider would be a word processor (for example,
Microsoft Word, Publisher, Appleworks), a graphics
package (Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Freehand, Paintshop
Pro) or a spreadsheet (Excel, Lotus). It may be helpful
to have a list of tasks to learn to perform using
the application. Include in this list basic tasks
(creating a document, spreadsheet, etc.) and more
complex ones (creating templates, etc.). The aim is
to think about the provision of help from the point
of view of the solitary user trying to figure things
out alone. You should therefore make explicit any
prior knowledge you use to help interpret the system
(for example, experience of similar systems).
EXERCISE 11.3
What knowledge is needed to build an
adaptive help system? Which do you think is most difficult
to provide and why?
answer
It requires at least knowledge of the
domain and knowledge of the user. It may also require
knowledge of teaching strategies and tasks. Knowledge
of the user is usually most difficult to provide,
along with knowledge of the task. Even if the user
can be monitored, interpreting the user's behaviour
in anything other than coarse terms is difficult without
access to his thought processes. However, this level
of interpretation, and generalization, can be helpful
nonetheless (for example, a record of what the user
has already done successfully or how often he has
used the application). Context can be deduced from
the user's current activity. This too can be difficult
to determine, however, unless it is a simple case
where the tool in use indicates the activity being
performed.
Domain knowledge in the general sense
is probably the easiest to provide (although it is
time consuming to do so). It is available within the
system itself or from the designer.
EXERCISE 11.4
Look at as many online support systems
as you can. Which do you find most useful and why?
Try to assess them using the requirements discussed
in Section 11.2.
answer
This is another open investigative assignment.
The set of requirements in Section 11.2 should provide
students with a structure for evaluating the systems.
A scoring system can perhaps be worked out to aid
comparison. Try to compare a general context-sensitive
help system with an application-specific one. A hypertext-based
help system would provide an interesting contrast,
as would a manual-based help system (such as UNIX
man) and a prompt-based one.
EXERCISE 11.5
Using your library facilities and the
world wide web, investigate the benefits and limitations
of adaptive help systems. What examples of adaptive
and adaptable help are available and how useful are
they?
answer available for tutors only
EXERCISE 11.6
What are the four main types of help
that users may require? For each type, give an example
of a situation in which it would be appropriate.
answer available for tutors only
EXERCISE 11.7
Which usability principles are especially
important in the design of help systems, and why?
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EXERCISE 11.8
Describe some of the different approaches
to providing user support systems, with examples.
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EXERCISE 11.9
Applications are often supported by an
online version of the paper documentation; in some
cases there is no paper documentation at all.
What are the advantages of online documentation?
What are the disadvantages, and how can they be overcome?
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EXERCISE 11.10
Discuss the presentation issues involved
in the design of effective and relevant help systems.
answer available for tutors only
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