We recently came into possession of a training manual for a (relatively simple) application used by one of our clients. Wow. 300+ pages of step-by-step instructions for each action that a user might need to perform. What’s amazing is that the software is actually so complex that it would be very difficult to use it without having read the manual.
It goes without saying that this is an automatic fail. A simple application that requires expert training to use is a sign of programmers trying to get the user to understand the underlying model of the software. What they should have done, is try to understand the user’s model of the task and craft the user interface to fit that as closely as possible.
Of course, that’s much harder work for the developer.
But when you get to the point where you’re maintaining a 300 page manual to support your users, you have to wonder if investing a bit of time and consideration in the user experience up front might have been a small price to pay. Not to mention you might have had a user base that was happy, productive and… larger.
So that leads me to the point of this post: for anything but expert systems, the software training manual is dead. If you’re even thinking about writing a manual for end-user software, just delete all your code and start again. You’ve failed. With the innovative simplicity of the web, people expect to just be able to jump in and use your product. Show them a training manual and they’ll start looking elsewhere.
Good developers realise this, and they go out of their way to make their products drop-dead easy-to-use. Take this excerpt from the LessAccounting FAQ:
If you cannot utilize this site by just looking around we haven’t accomplished our goal.
Don’t make me read
Any successful end-user application reaches a point where it has some functionality that requires a bit of expert knowledge. And for expert tools like CAD programs and programming tools, it’s a given that you need expert training options up-front.
How best to train your experts is a difficult question because of different learning styles, but the most recent trend seems to be towards training videos. I do a lot of reading, but when I came across Rob Conery’s training videos for the MVC Storefront suddenly I was watching an expert at work. It was an eye-opening experience for me because I learnt a lot and it was enjoyable.
So we’re trying out this approach out at work with the CareerHub Training website which is primarily video-based training. It might not be perfect for everyone, but it beats a training manual any day.
UPDATE: I just came across Screen Steps Live - a tool to create “just in time” documentation. Doing it this way makes sure you’re answering questions your customers actually have.
