LESSON 14

Today’s first article describes how using a Hints or Tips button may be more effective than placing the same information in an online Help topic. The second article explains when and when not to use a wizard. A reference article details Microsoft’s standards for designing wizards.

Here’s a Tip:  Avoid Help!

User Interface Engineering states:  “We've witnessed that many users avoid Help. There are several possible reasons for this...”

Making Tips Work
http://world.std.com/~uieweb/tips.htm
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UIE’s Guidelines for Designing Wizards

According to the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) Library, “A wizard is a special form of user assistance that automates a task through a dialogue with the user. Wizards help the user accomplish tasks that can be complex and require experience. Wizards can automate almost any task, such as creating new objects and formatting a set of objects like a table or paragraph. They are especially useful for presenting complex and infrequent tasks that the user may have difficulty learning or doing.”

This article by User Interface Engineering explains when to develop a wizard, and how to judge a wizard using five traits of successful wizards.

When to Develop a Wizard
http://www.world.std.com/~uieweb/wiz_art.htm
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Reference Material

Wizards

Microsoft, in its MSDN Library’s Design Specifications and Guidelines (User Assistance) section, provides comprehensive instructions on designing wizards according to its standards.

The article includes the following topics.

Guidelines for Designing Wizards
Window Design
Wizard Pages
Advanced Wizard Welcome Page
Advanced Wizard Interior Pages
Advanced Wizard Completion Page
Guidelines for Writing Text for Wizard Pages

Wizards
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/books/winguide/ch13h.htm