Software Documentation: Delivering the Unicorn

When you use enterprise software, you are going to need help (even if you have received training). It goes by many names: documentation, help, the docs, user guide, manual, etc. Let's go with documentation, the value of which can be put into 2 buckets; effectiveness and efficiency. 

Effective documentation gives the user the correct answer every time. This is all about content. Software systems can be so flexible and dynamic that it's impossible to anticipate all the ways a user may want to do something. The technical writer has a mountain to climb in this regard. A user needs to be able to first understand what the feature is for, then how to use it, and also understand how that feature impacts outcomes as well as other features.

Efficient documentation doesn't force the user away from their task. The traditional documentation fails here. Clicking a link to access the documentation takes my vision and focus away from the software and into a sea of content.

So what would be the best user support scenario?


Here's the best thing I can imagine: the software vendor's product manager sits next to me and answers any questions I may have. This would maximize effectiveness and efficiency, but it's a fantasy, so let's call this the Unicorn Model.

Here's what we have today: I use the software and, when I need guidance, I click a "Help" link to find answers in the documentation. Sometimes it's effective but it's rarely efficient. I have to leave my task, search, read, interpret, apply the information to my specific needs, then go back to the task and see if I can do it. And if that doesn't work, I need to seek other resources; customer support, message boards, online tutorials, colleagues, etc. Let's call this the Mule Model; it works for the most part and we accept it, even though it isn't the most effective or efficient.

From the perspective of the software vendor, our goal should be to give the users of our software the best self-serve user support possible. By doing this, we reduce the burden on helpdesk and training groups and, perhaps more importantly, we foster customer satisfaction. If we indeed have this goal, we should strive to provide user support that is as close to the Unicorn Model as possible.

Effectiveness is really in the hands of the technical writer and the support they receive as they write the content. Let's stipulate that the content is perfect and can address all of a user's questions. The content represents the Unicorn Model, so let's turn to efficiency. How can software deliver the perfect documentation in a way that does not distract a user from their task within the software itself? 

I think this is the million-dollar question but it's not a new one. 

Remember Clippy, the animated paper clip that Microsoft introduced into Windows and Office? This assistant was an attempt by Microsoft to move closer to the Unicorn Model - to provide more efficient user support. And it failed. Users (this one included) found it annoying and distracting.

So what is the answer?

If I were starting an enterprise software company, here's what you'd see:

1) Software design specifications that included explicit user support functionality. This would be much more than a little question mark icon that popped up a sentence. It would be rich and dynamic. Maybe the software offers various modes of operation - beginner, intermediate and advanced - and provides on-screen user support that correlates with each mode. The key here is, don't make the user leave the software to get documentation. Put it in the product.

2) A role within the development team whose job it is to code user support functionality into the product itself and work intimately with the technical writer and interface designer.

This would move us from the Mule Model to something better. Not the Unicorn, but definitely in the right direction. But it's easier said than done. It requires business leaders who share these values and are willing to support them when budgeting. It also requires a product development model that includes user support as a major consideration in the development of user experience.

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I would love to hear from you on this. Are help authoring tools getting in the way? Is user support (documentation) ever going to get a seat at the product management table?