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Creating an Online Help System for Logical Ink

This document outlines the process of creating an online help system for Logical Ink, a startup providing tablet-based software solutions. The help system aims to support a new web portal version of the Logical Ink Server, enhancing user access and usability. Key challenges included the need for a robust documentation framework, learning authoring tools such as DITA, and gathering user data for effective testing. Despite initial concerns, supportive collaboration resulted in a functional help system focused on user needs, paving the way for future enhancements and usability testing.

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Creating an Online Help System for Logical Ink

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  1. Creating an Online Help System for Logical Ink Peggy Harvey ENG 675 April 20, 2010

  2. Agenda • Background • Problem • Initial Concerns • Decisions and Challenges • Result • What’s Next

  3. Background • Logical Progression is a start-up company that provides tablet-based software solutions • Logical Ink is an electronic charting solution for healthcare

  4. Problem • 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

  5. Initial Concerns • 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.

  6. Initial Concerns Alleviated • 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.

  7. What… • Type of Help system? • Level of quality? • Design elements? • Navigation elements? • Content to include or exclude?

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

  9. Content • 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

  10. Challenge: No Usability Studies • How much contextual information do users need? • What level of detail should be included? • What kind of information are users looking for?

  11. How… • Creating a Help system requires authoring tools • Incorporate best practices • Wanted to use a long-term, maintainable process

  12. Challenge #1: No Precedent • Effectively building a tech comm department on my own • Had to develop the entire documentation process from the ground up

  13. DITA – Darwin Information Typing Architecture • XML architecture • “Chunks” information into individual topics • Single-sourcing • Reuse • Human-readable files

  14. Challenge #2: DITA • 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

  15. Challenge #3: Tools • After DITA failed, still had learning curve with backup solution • Needed to re-teach myself FrameMaker • Dealt with technological issues as they came

  16. Result • Working, functional Help system based on the product specification • Lack of user data means Help system 1.0 is in effect a test system

  17. What’s Next? • 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

  18. Thank You

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