Designing & Writing Help Systems – Training Course Outline

If your job involves creating Help systems we can help you to provide the right information in the right format, so that your customers get the best out of your product.

As award-winning specialists in communicating on-line information to the layman or the expert, Plain Words can show you how to get it right every time. This course is packed full of ‘tips and tricks’ from experienced Help authors who design, write and develop Help systems every day.

Course Duration

This one-day course is conducted as a ‘hands on’ consultancy that concentrates on the practical application of good documentation and Help design techniques. Tuition is paced to suit you so that you learn in a comfortable and productive way.

Course Contents

Here’s a list of the course modules we offer. You can ‘pick and mix’ from this list to create the ideal course for you.

1. What are Help systems?

• Text based
• Windows Help systems
• Cross platform Help
• Graphics and Multimedia
• Other Help types

2. When to use Help files

• The pros and cons of Help systems
• Types of information
• The relationship between hard copy documentation and Help files

3. Introduction to Help file formats

• Help file structure
• Windows Help files
• HTML and SGML

4. Designing and developing Help files

• Analysis and design: designing Help content, developing topic types, organising topics into groups and defining topic relationships
• Prototyping: testing the structure, end user clinics, designing graphical elements
• Involving Software Development: Developer and Help Designer interaction, integration issues (Map IDs, Help file structure – single Help files, multiple Help files)
• Writing: information chunking, developing a first draft, Help reviews, Quality Assurance
• Creating the Help contents: options, adding another layer of structure to your Help, using the contents editor, designing your own contents system
• Testing
• Releasing the Help to Development: creating Map IDs, creating a Tracking Document, integrating the Help

5. Creating Hypertext links and jumps

• Overview of Hypertext links and jumps
• Pop-ups
• Macros
• Browse sequences

6. Using images and tables in Help files

• Images
• Tables

7. Using Macros and scripting

• What are macros, events and scripts?
• What macros are available
• Controls and scripting elements

8. Context-sensitive Help

• What’s this? Help
• Screen level Help
• Single line field Help
• Development methods
• Keeping it short

9. Adding multimedia

• What is multimedia?
• Choosing when to use more media
• Using executable macros
• Using the {MCI} macro
• Using video for software demonstrations

10. Tips and tricks

• Segmenting Help files
• User interface
• Use of English
• Small packets of information
• Testing
• Using Help creatively
  • As an information resource
  • Company manuals
  • Technical support and marketing information

11. Overview of Help tools

• Doc-To-Help
• HDK™ and XDK™
• RoboHELP®
• Author-IT
• WebWorks Publisher

12. Future developments

• HTML based Help – the future
• Single source documentation – really possible?
• SGML – cost implications
• Paperless applications – The Holy Grail!

Book Now!

For details of timetabled courses, see the schedule. For prices, see the costs table.

To reserve your places you can either book on-line or call us on +44 (0)1635 202013/+44 (0)207 0960 749.