Right, modular is an ambiguous term, and
inspecific.
>>
May
help with a user domain separate from its software
vehicle.<<
Do
you mean that Online Help doesn’t have to be associated with a piece of
software? Or do you mean that some content in a software’s Help might describe
indirectly-associated concepts, business rules and the
like?
I meant the latter, e.g. a museum exhibit.
Guidance for conflict of interest, insider trading, and the like might be
examples of business rules. I'm sure you had other examples in mind, what are
they?
Here's another take which I think addresses
your points.
_____________________________________________________________
What is Online Help?
Essential characteristics:
It is user-assistance
documentation.
It is presented by a
computer.
Each topic is presented
separately. (Like a website.)
In-topic links support
navigation to other topics. (Like a website.)
A ToC, if provided, links
to topics. (Unlike that in a book.)
An Index, if
provided, links to topics. (Unlike that in a
book.)
Optional characteristics:
It documents a software
product.
It is integrated with the UI of that
product.
Parts of the UI may be linked to topics written
about them. (Embedded help.)
Procedural steps may be linked to parts of the UI
used to execute them. (Online coach.)
Ancillary considerations:
The location of the content (e.g. local disk,
website, cloud) is immaterial.
The type of display (e.g. CLI, GUI, kiosk, audio,
video, mixed media) may constrain the content.
From: Tony Self [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 8:44 PM
To: Bruce Nevin
(bnevin);
Subject: RE:
[dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
Hi
Bruce
Here
are some thoughts.
>>
Modular--relatively
short topics<<
Modular
might not be the right term to use, because “modular Help” is used commonly to
describe multiple Help systems that are merged at runtime to be delivered as a
virtual single Help system.
>>
May
help with a user domain separate from its software
vehicle.<<
Do
you mean that Online Help doesn’t have to be associated with a piece of
software? Or do you mean that some content in a software’s Help might describe
indirectly-associated concepts, business rules and the
like?
I
think we also need to define “online”.
Regards
Tony
Self
From: Bruce
Nevin (bnevin) [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, 21 January
2011 8:43 AM
To:
Subject:
[dita-adoption-help] definition of Help
I
see http://wiki.oasis-open.org/dita-adoption/DITA_Help_Technologies_Guide_Allocation
that I am on the hook for a definition of Help. Here's a quick draft for
comment.
What
is Online Help?
User
assistance documentation.
Modular--relatively
short topics, in some forms (e.g. rollover) smaller than a
topic.
Delivered
online by software, either locally or on the web.
Usually
integrated with the UI of the software that it documents.
May
help with a user domain separate from its software
vehicle.
Is
a kiosk or a guide to an exhibit online
Help?
May
be context sensitive (linked to user action or location or the state of
the application).
These
characteristics usually compel the Help developer to address the problem of
relevance that is central to all documentation: access to the relevant topic
from the context of need.
All
user assistance documentation is part of the user interface; a Help system
only more obviously so.
/B
