Description
Book SynopsisUser interfaces and supporting documentation are both supposed to help people when using a complex device. But often, these forms of support seem to come from different worlds. User interface designers, document designers, and researchers in both interface and document design share many goals, but are also separated by many barriers. In this book, user interface designers and documents designers from Microsoft Corporation and from Apple Computer, plus researchers from several universities try to bridge the gap between interface design and document design. They discuss opportunities for closer cooperation, and for more integrated and effective help for users of modern technology.
Trade Review"The range of topics visited within the book is impressive … provides helpful tips, insights, and thought-provoking discussions … a pleasant and engaging read" - in: Document Design 3(3) (2002) "A slim volume like Interface design & document design is easy to overlook on a bookshelf. Its value, however, is not in proportion to its size. Books like this disseminate the practical experiences of our peers and the findings of researchers." - in: Technical Communication 49(1) "What this book does, and does well, is to give voice to the researchers who recognize how vital this collaboration [between documentation and interface design] is. … should be of interest to those involved with the design of operating systems, software, online help, assistants, wizards, or similar devices. It is equally about the associated problems of combining these codependents, interface and document, as it is a prescriptive text. Leaders in this field, such as the contributors from Microsoft and Apple, Patricia Wright and Piet Westendorp, add credibility to this book, further making it interesting to read. The lessons and advice within should be of value to anyone who faces the challenge to make their products easier for their users to use." - in: Technical Writing and Communication, Vol. 32, No. 3 (2002) "well-researched … thorough investigations" - in: TC-Forum 02-2001
Table of ContentsPreface. Piet WESTENDORP, Carel JANSEN, Rob PUNSELIE: Parallels and dichotomies in Interface Design & Document Design. Tjeerd HOEK & Leah KAUFMAN: Help yourself: designing help to fit software users and their work. Kevin KNABE: Designing online help for the Mac OS. José ARCELLANA: Designing Assistants. Herman BOUMA: Document and user interface design for older citizens. Patricia WRIGHT: Supportive documentation for older people. Dominic BOUWHUIS: Document-supported communication: design of new forms of interaction.
