Title :
Creating an essential manual: an experiment in prototyping and task analysis
Author_Institution :
San Diego State Univ., CA, USA
fDate :
3/1/1990 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The author describes the design and creation of a task-oriented user guide for students doing computer-assisted writing at San Diego State University. The project incorporated prototyping and task analysis techniques borrowed from systems analysis. A database provided a task dictionary which described 35 characteristics for each of the 66 tasks identified as necessary to perform simple word processing. The author discusses definition of user needs, selection of the documentation format, prototyping as a method for documentation development, putting the prototyping approach to work, devising a method for task analysis, and implications of using database techniques to task analysis
Keywords :
computer aided instruction; system documentation; systems analysis; user manuals; computer-assisted writing; database; design; documentation format; manual; prototyping; systems analysis; task analysis; task dictionary; task-oriented user guide; user needs; word processing; Dictionaries; Documentation; Ink; Professional communication; Prototypes; Springs; Stress; Testing; Text processing; Writing;
Journal_Title :
Professional Communication, IEEE Transactions on
