Users guide vs Quickguide

[Corey Burger]

That was my thought exactly. However, it was only a talking point, not
something I had even decided myself.

Corey


On Tue, 14 Dec 2004 13:02:44 +0100 (CET), Daniel de Kok
<danieldk at pobox.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am only subscribed to this list since yesterday, so, just ignore me if I
> utter plain nonsense ;-).
> 
> On Tue, 14 Dec 2004, Corey Burger wrote:
> > If we reverse it, then this might be the most logical way that a new
> > user explores the system. However, it might also be the other way
> > around.
> 
> Reversing it seems to make sense to me. To give this opinion a some
> underpinning: there is a stress factor for users in retrieving
> information. I can imagine that this can be quite high when a user
> switches to a whole new operating system. After all, in the end users have
> to get their jobs done. A quickstart guide has to be written with this in
> mind. A user who just installed Ubuntu has simple questions, like:
> 
> - How can I read the PDF file I reveived from my collegue?
> - How do I open my Word/Excel files, and how can I make them without
>    Microsoft Office?
> - I have to check my e-mail, can I access my work e-mail address from
>    home?
> 
> In such cases it can be very annoying to have a quick guide that just
> describes some applications. OTOH, when such a guide is task oriented,
> there is much less uncertainty about what applications users can use to do
> their job, and how to set them up, relieving the stress that comes with
> switching to a new operating system.
> 
> With kind regards,
> Daniel de Kok
>