Componentization of HTML-based online help
Luc Chamberland · 1999
This paper examines the case for componentization of HTML-based help webs. Instead of providing a single, monolithic help web for a complex software product, content providers can provide online help that is divided (or componentized) along the same functional lines as the software itself. Traditionally, online help has been chunked according to task orientation, and a component-centered approach appears to challenge task orientation. In the proposed approach, componentization is achieved without sacrificing a task-orientation; they complement one another. Componentization of online help makes the help system more usable for users, and makes the task of integrating help content more flexible for help content providers — all without sacrificing the user's task perspective.