Our Contract with You, the Reader -- List of Chapters -- Table of Contents -- Dedication -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- How to Download the Files -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: Planning an Online Help Project -- Why plan an online help project? -- What process is used in an ideal help project? -- Step 1. Analyze the audience, plan the project, and write the plan -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 2. Develop high-level specifications -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 3. Develop detailed specifications -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 4. Perform a detailed task analysis -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 5. Build and evaluate a prototype help system -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 6. Develop an outline and map of the help project -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 7. Write, index, and edit the help topics -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 8. Review the help topics -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 9. Test the help -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 10. Release the help with the product -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- Step 11. Evaluate the help and plan for improvements -- Benefits of this step -- Problems if this step is not done -- What are the roles in an online help project? -- Project manager/planner/producer's role -- Writer's role -- Editor's role -- Graphic artist's or illustrator's role -- Instructional designer's role -- Programmer's role -- Multimedia producer's role -- Indexer's role -- Localization and translation coordinator's role -- Usability tester's role.

Quality assurance (QA) person's role -- How much time is required for producing online help? -- Overall time required -- Time required for different activities -- Number of help topics required -- Who does what, when? -- Organizing the flow of writing, editing, reviewing, and testing -- Stages of help and software development -- How many reviews are needed, and when? -- What types of testing are required? -- Test of internal links, also called reliability testing -- Test of external links -- Is the help helpful? -- Methods for editing and reviewing -- Compiled help with annotations -- Compiled help with separate comments file -- Compiled help printed and annotated by hand -- RTF, Microsoft Word, or other editable files -- PDF files -- Changes typed directly into help source file -- Choosing help-development tools -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2: Analyzing Audiences and Tasks -- Who are the audiences? -- Example 1. Audience analysis for TreeLine -- Example 2. Audience analysis for a multi-user database program -- Working with user profiles and personas -- Example 3. Personas for TreeLine -- What are the audiences' tasks? -- Example 4. User task analysis for TreeLine -- Example 5. User/task matrix for a multi-user database program -- Example 6. Task map for TreeLine -- Flow diagram -- Working with use cases and user scenarios -- Example 7. Use case and user scenario for an e-mail program -- Use case example -- User scenario example -- What questions will the audience ask? -- Build lists of users' questions and help topic types -- Example 8. Part of a task-topic list for TreeLine -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3: Developing Specifications -- High-level specifications -- How will the online help coordinate with other user documents? -- Do you plan to single-source your documentation? -- What type of help will best fit the application?.

How will the help be connected to the application? -- What media types are required? -- Your audience -- The writing team -- What tools are needed? -- Hardware -- Software -- What information types and levels are required? -- What topic types are required? -- Overviews and conceptual topics -- Window- or dialog-level topics -- Procedural (task) topics -- Field-level topics -- Reference topics -- Lookup topics -- Example topics -- Problem-solving topics -- Frequently Asked Question topics -- Glossary and other pop-up topics -- Error message help topics -- Tip-of-the-day topics -- Wizards, coaches, and other performance support topics -- Show-me, demonstration, and tutorial topics -- How will the help windows (or pages) be presented? -- What navigation aids will be used? -- How will the help meet localization criteria? -- How will the help meet accessibility criteria? -- Detailed specifications -- Related documents (primary sources) -- Writing conventions -- Terminology -- Design and layout -- Help navigation scheme -- Content of topic types -- Overview topics -- Conceptual topics -- Dialog-level topics -- Procedural ("how to") topics -- Field-level topics -- Problem-solving topics -- Glossary topics -- Reference topics -- Lookup topics -- Frequently Asked Question topics -- Error message help topics -- Project-specific style guide -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4: Prototyping the Help System -- Why build a prototype of a help system? -- Building a high-level concept and design prototype -- Advantages of paper prototypes -- Advantages of electronic prototypes -- What to include in a high-level prototype -- Design and navigation -- Sample topics -- Create a working high-level prototype -- Building a detailed contents prototype -- Outline and map the help project -- Use the outline and roadmap to build a detailed prototype -- Fill in the details -- Conclusion.

Chapter 5: Avoiding Common Problems -- 1. I can't find what I'm looking for. -- Causes -- Information not in the help -- Help not context-sensitive -- Poor table of contents -- Poor indexing -- Poor linking between topics -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 2. I can't figure out what's going on. -- Causes -- Help topic says only what to do -- Writers assume users understand the bigger task -- Users access help topic from contents or index -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 3. I can't figure out what will happen when I do something. -- Causes -- User interface is unclear -- Not enough information is given in the help -- Writers did not have the information or the time to work it out for themselves -- Help specifications were not adequate -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 4. There's too much detail. -- Causes -- Writers assume all users need this level of detail -- Writers don't know how to subdivide information -- Help tries to cover every alternative -- One help topic must cover several dialogs -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 5. There's not enough detail. -- Causes -- Writers lack information, or are too familiar with the product -- One window or dialog contains several tabbed pages -- One help topic covers several dialogs -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 6. I can't get to the help when I want it. -- Causes -- Help button or F1 gives an error message or nothing at all happens -- No Help button or menu-bar item -- A wizard or other startup window prevents access to the main program -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 7. The program isn't working the way the help says it should. -- Causes -- Late changes to user interface -- Inadequate reviews or testing, and writers' lack of knowledge -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 8. Help says what the system does, but not how to use it. -- Causes -- Inappropriate user expectations.

Help focuses on low-level tasks -- Help focuses on what various controls do -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 9. I want a bigger picture of what this program can do. -- Causes -- Some information is only in printed or PDF form -- Information is in the help but can't be found easily -- Information is not available to users in any form -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- 10. The help is inconsistent and badly written and formatted. -- Causes -- Inexperienced writers -- Converting from another format -- Single-sourcing -- Inadequate testing -- Inadequate specifications and project style guide -- Browser problems -- Diagnosing the problem -- Cures -- Categorizing problem severity -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6: Producing the Table of Contents and Index -- Terminology -- Table of contents -- Index -- Search -- Designing a useful table of contents -- Structure -- Presentation -- Expanding tree structure -- A page of ordinary links -- Reviewing a table of contents -- Example 1. Table of contents with subtle problems -- Example 2. A more user-friendly table of contents -- Example 3. Another user-friendly table of contents -- Example 4. A different approach: table of contents for a Web site -- Designing a useful index -- Reviewing an index -- Example 5. An index with problems -- Example 6. A better index for an e-mail program -- Example 7. An index with clearly differentiated entries -- Example 8. An automatically generated index for a Web site -- Example 9. A bad example: combining index and search -- Conclusion -- Chapter 7: Providing Navigation and Context -- Avoiding problems -- Using cross-references and other links -- Links to other topics, files, or locations -- Links to pop-up topics, including glossary topics -- Related topic references -- Example of a link list without descriptions -- Example of a link list with brief descriptions.

Example of links with longer descriptions presented as a definition list.