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A designer failed if help is needed. usually holds for relatively-straightforward apps and real-world designs. The issue where clear, succinct documentation is
by monopolemagnet 11y ago
A designer failed if help is needed. usually holds for relatively-straightforward apps and real-world designs.
The issue where clear, succinct documentation is needed is complicated, enterprise applications which have expert interfaces.
- exDM69 11y agoI strongly disagree with the idea that computer programs should be designed so that no "help" is required. It only works in the simplest of applications. In my opinion, a bigger issue is that most "help" dialogs are so badly written that they are pretty much useless. They are too often written by a developer who doesn't have a clear understanding of the typical use cases. When was the last time you found anything useful behind the F1 key? I see the effects of this in freshmen and newbie developers who don't ever look at the manuals or documentation because they are used to it being non-existent or unhelpful. I hate to be saying RTFM, but I have to because reading the docs is a useful skill, unlike memorizing how a certain tool works.