Class Meeting: User Manual

Admin

• some teams have not yet gotten homepage in place...java,engine
• still need meatball if you want it there
• boss meetings start next week...
  still need to hear from "newMake"... also, Java see me.

• Schedules due next time... make sure they are linked to your project web page.
  Remeber I wanted 3 items: Work-breakdown structure, PERT chart, Gantt chart. If you have used software to generate these, make a note on your schedule page(s) of the name of the package(s).

Notes

• Know your audience
  • explain who you are speaking to
  • state your assumptions about who the document is for, what you assume they know and don't know
  • state what they will learn (goals) from the document
  • state what the document is NOT

• your user manual is an AD for the product
  • Why should the user prefer your product and not a competitor?
  • What did I do when I bought a cell phone? Asked to see the manuals...

• contains high-level view of your product
  • user interface mockups... screens, scenarios of use
  • use FSMs and screen to describe user interactions
  • few if any technical details (like language, code module structures, etc)
  • What does the product do? (NOT how does the code accomplish it)
  • How does the user get the product to do its stuff?

• contains several different usage paths, for different purposes
  • quick overview (browsing, skimming)
  • installation notes... how to get your product into use
  • tutorial, scenarios (sequential reading for stronger information)
  • detailed index of functions (search, reference)
  • troubleshooting section?
  • glossary?
  • hyperlinks... cross references
  • use your imagination... but be informative, not cute

• Look at commercial examples for ideas

• You need to make two (2) versions of your user manual:
  1. "Paper" (polished, complete) version... choose your own word processing tools, etc... whatever will enable you to do the best, most-clear, most-explanative, most-polished presentation.
  2. "Online" version... your model is an on-line help section as might be found in a commercial product like Win95, Word, etc. You will put this version on the Web for all to see.

  The "paper" version you may choose to have on-line as well (i.e., not really in paper, all in HTML). It is your choice. What we mean here is you have a "help" version and a fully-fleshed version.

  There are 2 different intended uses the versions, so each will be organized differently, have different styles perhaps. Or perhaps one is a condensed, focused version of the other.