Examining documentation and help systems since 2002.
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Gordon R. Meyer
Copyright 2002-2008
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An example of user-supplemented Help
Mori is a notebook application for Mac OS X. Its onscreen Help implementation caught my eye because it is presented similar to a blog, complete with the typical commenting features. This allows end-users to communicate directly with the developer, and more importantly, with each other about the quality of the documentation and the features of the software.
Sure, lots of companies provide "give us feedback" links in their help systems, but the key difference here is that every user can see what others have already written; and then clarify, disagree, or add additional information. Eventually, I assume that the better pieces will get incorporated into the standard documentation. For an example of how its working see How to Backup Your Notebook, which even includes a cross-link to a feature request that includes a user poll about the value of a proposed change.
I think this implementation could be improved by mirroring it in the Help system, instead of relying on the website as the sole Help delivery method, but otherwise its a grand experiment. For more on the topic of user-supplemented documentation see Internet-based Document Review, PHP Documentation and User Feedback, and Cooking Up Help.
Posted: Sunday, January 29, 2006 link to this item, respond to this item