The quality of access: helping users find information in documentation
Michael F. Steehouder · 1994
Reference manuals are usually consulted by experienced computer users when effective working with software is hindered by a problem. Using a general model of an information-seeking event as reference, it is argued in this contribution that the access structure of a reference manual should be related to the various types of problems that give rise to searching for information. It should also been taken into account that users give names to functions and operations which usually differ from those used in the manual and its index. Based upon the results of exploratory studies, some general strategies for designing indexes are sketched, illustrating that studying user behaviour can be a successful heuristic for improving technical documentation.