Abstract: Following a training course where 15 entry operators received hands-on experience with a software application package and its help screens, questionnaires which included 34 help screen features to be rated as to their importance, was administered. Examining the ratings in terms of features which were included in the current help screens indicated that users were reasonably satisfied with the help screens except in two unimplemented areas: intelligent help and the ability to access all help screens from anywhere in the system. The same items were then rated by a sample of 15 software developers. Results showed that the two sets of ratings differed significantly. Examinations of individual items suggested that developers tended to place more emphasis on technical implementation of help systems, while users tended to be more concerned with items directly related to their jobs, such as the existence of step-by-step instructions and the ability to restore the entry screen.

Keywords: Developer vs. user views; Documentation; Empirical studies; Evaluation; Help screens; Hypermedia/Information systems; Software development; Survey

Originally published: Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 33rd Annual Meeting, 1989, pp. 390-393

Republished: G. Perlman, G. K. Green, & M. S. Wogalter (Eds.) Human Factors Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction: Selections from Proceedings of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meetings, 1983-1994, Santa Monica, CA: HFES, 1995, pp. 187-190.