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This page contains links to documents that can help you plan and write software manuals and help systems.  To view a document, simply click on the link. 

This icon indicates that a printable Word file is available.

Chapter 1

Understanding Task Orientation
Cost/Benefit Analysis Checklist This page contains a useful analysis to determine the value of technical information in the workplace. Includes the items in the checklist in Chapter 1.
Form for Workplace Activities This worksheet helps determine categories of workplace activities for structuring your documents.

Chapter 2

Writing to Teach—Tutorials
Tutorial Analysis Worksheet Use this worksheet to record your experience with a tutorial and to form the basis of your evaluation of it.
Tutorial Practice Assignment This worksheet introduces the requirements for a selection of activities or lessons for a specific user.
Operations Importance Analysis This blank sheet helps you analyze the relative importance of software functions to the user.  Use it in Exercise 2.
Suggested Analysis Suggestions for filling out the analysis sheet for Exercise 2.
Elaborate vs Minimalist Worksheet This worksheet accompanies Exercise 3, and helps you systematize your evaluation of these two methods of teaching in tutorials.
Elaborate vs Minimalist Suggested Analysis This worksheet (done for a program called StampView, in Exercise 3) shows an example of an analysis you can follow in doing Exercise 3.
Tutorial Design Checklist Checklist for designing tutorials

Chapter 3

Writing to Guide—Procedures
Procedure Test Form This form is very useful for testing procedures shown as in Figure 6-1
Procedures Checklist Checklist for designing procedures.

Chapter 4

Writing to Support—Reference
Reference Checklist Checklist for designing reference documentation.

Chapter 5

Analyzing Your Users
Parts of a User Scenario This file contains suggestions for sections of a formal user scenario.
User Analysis Checklist Checklist for performing a user analysis.

Chapter 6

Planning and Writing Your Documents
Alpha Draft I Checklist: Manual This page contains a punch list for review of an alpha draft for a print manual.
Alpha Draft I Checklist: Help This page contains a punch list for review of an alpha draft for a help system.
Alpha Draft Management Checklist This checklist helps team managers to coordinate document goals with features of the alpha draft and with human and other resources.
Topic Planning Guide This form is useful for planning help topics.
Help System Outline This form can help you construct a table of contents for a help system.
Documentation Plan Checklist Checklist for writing a documentation plan.

Chapter 7

Getting Useful Reviews
Types of Feedback This form goes with Exercise 1, Chapter 7.  It associates type of feedback from reviews, tests, and edits for a medical office management system.
Review Walkthrough Guidelines Review Walkthrough Guidelines. 
Review Planning Checklist Checklist for planning reviews.

Chapter 8

Conducting Usability Tests
Match Types of Tests with Test Points This table helps determine the suitability of a usability test strategy.
Test Point Analysis: Reference Identify what terminology you want to test by looking at the points in your documentation set where you perceive the following criteria met at a level of 1-5, where 1 = slightly met, 5 = very relevant.
Test Point Analysis: Procedures Use this form to help you analyze your procedures list to determine which to test. List the tasks in the first column, and then rate each task with a 1-5 with 1 meaning doesn't meet the criteria, and 5 meaning really meets the criteria.
Test Point Analysis: Procedures (Example) An annotated version for use in exercise and sample program (StampView).
Exercise: Read/Locate Tests This form explains an excellent field test and contains instructions on how to use it on a project. 
Read and Locate Test Form This form gets filled out by the evaluators. You can adapt it to your usability testing needs.
Tally Sheet for Test Questions This page contains a sheet to record the performance data from the record sheets and make decisions about document design.
Test Plan Checklist Checklist for planning usability tests.

Chapter 9

Editing and Fine Tuning
Style Sheet

 

 This form contains areas for keeping track of text styles and also graphics, tables, and layout styles.
Editing Checklist Checklist for editing.

Chapter 10

Designing for Task Orientation
Design Planning Matrix This form can help you brainstorm design ideas and user characteristics for the right fit of document to workplace activities.
Goals/Design Matrix This matrix can help you plan your documents so that multiple features meet the demands of multiple document goals. Use it as a way to fine-tune your design.
Design Testing Guidelines This form can help you determine tasks for testing of prototypes and draft specs.

Chapter 11

Laying Out Pages and Screens
Goals/Layout Matrix This matrix can help you plan your documents so that multiple features meet the demands of multiple document goals. Use it as a way to fine-tune your layout design.
Document Layout Checklist Checklist for document layout.

Chapter 12

Getting the Language Right
Style Checklist Checklist for user-oriented language.

Chapter 13

Using Graphics Effectively
Graphics Checklist Checklist for planning graphics.

Chapter 14

Designing Indexes

Index Checklist

 Checklist for planning indexes.

This page maintained by Thomas Barker thomas.barker@ttu.edu  Hit Counter  Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, publishing as Longman Publishers  Legal Notice