Graphical abstract help
Jeff J. S. Huang, Bo Lu, Michael Bernard Twidale · 2005
We explore the use of abstracted versions of screenshots as part of an interface to support giving help to the user. Graphstract, the software implementation of this graphical help system, extends the ideas of textually oriented Minimal Manuals to the use of screenshots, enabling multiple small graphical elements to be shown in a small space. This enables the user to get an overview of a complex sequential task as a whole.Graphical hints, such as jagged edges, red dots, and icons are also explored. The idea has been developed by iterative prototyping. In cases where the minimalist help is insufficient, ways of providing more detailed information on demand are investigated.