Part 1 of a series of 3 webinars sponsored by Adobe (thank you) explaining the need to treat software users as learners in our rapidly changing informational environment. Recording of complete webinar at http://adobe.ly/WpNZQJ

1. A Cognitive Design for
User Assistance
Users
Become
Learners
RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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2. Once, we needed to learn to make fire…
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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3. Do we teach it today?
Our
immediate,
contingent
needs
change
over
time
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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4. The only thing we know about the future
is that it will be different ! ! !
Peter Drucker
Our job is to help people use our
products well and wisely, which
means they learn to adapt,
and cope with changes in
technology and society. Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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5. Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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6. Complex Communication
• Communication
• Knowledge Expert Thinking
Routine manual tasks
Routine Cognitive
Tasks
Non-routine Manual Tasks
OECD:
The
Future
Requires
Complex
Thinking
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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7. Today’s Software Provides
Information-Rich Environments
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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8. Today’s Software Provides
Information-Rich Environments
...to
a
vector
of
information
that
actually
makes
vital
decisions
for
you.
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved

9. A Few of the Things Software Now Does
All
these
applications
put
you
in
a
changed
relationship
with
people
who
are
in
a
different
context
from
your
own
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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10. Faced with this Complexity,
I, the User, Have Needs!
To
solve
my
immediate
problem,
I
need
to…
In
order
to
do
that,
I
need
to…
• Decide
• Do
• Know
• Understand
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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11. Example: Using MS Office
Move
Column
Send
Mail
Autofit
Save
Text
File
Indent
Text
Shared
Common
Understanding
Consolidated
Expertise
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©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved
Inspired
by
Prof.
Jim
Cummins,
University
of
Toronto

12. And Learning supports Decision-Making…
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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13. Decision Support for Users
• Two
types
of
decision
support
in
software:
• Automated
decision
support
aids
• Information
designed
to
inform
the
user's
judgment,
but
not
formalized
into
an
automated
system
he t ime
of t
on, most
ati
unic tter ty pe.
al c omm la
nic the
In tech w e do
Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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14. Core Principles for
Decision Support of Any Type
• Begin
with
users’
needs
• Give
priority
to
process
over
products
• Link
information
between
producers
and
users
• Build
connections
across
disciplines
and
organizations
• Seek
institutional
stability
• Design
processes
for
learning
Source:
U.S.
National
Research
Council
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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15. Core Principles of Minimalism as
Restated by JoAnn Hackos
• Focus
on
an
action-­‐oriented
approach
(Users’
needs,
process)
• Ensure
you
understand
the
users’
world
(Users’
needs,
links
and
connections,
institutional
stability)
• Recognize
the
importance
of
troubleshooting
information
(Users’
needs,
links
and
connections,
learning)
• Ensure
that
users
can
find
the
information
they
need
(Users’
needs,
learning,
links
and
connections)
Source:
http://www.infomanagementcenter.com/Resources/eNews2012-­‐12JHackos.pdf
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©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved

16. The Problem with Minimalism
Many
of
us
who
espouse
these
principles
don’t
know
them
well
enough
But
John
Carroll,
w
ho
create
d
minima
People
u lism,
said
sing
pr oducts
a :
in
getting
al
work
d re
most
intereste
“What often goes w
information that vio
rong with
re
lates the first People
b one.
d
minimalism principle est
learn
s is a focus on somethin
about
pr
using a product’s in g
rather
oduct
us
terface rather than somethin than
read e
by
doin
achieving real goals g.
ing
abou g
and completing t
real work. “
-JoAnn H
ackos
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved
Source:
JoAnn
Hackos

17. It’s Not the Same Thing!
• We
create
assistance
for
users
that
tells
them
how
to
perform
useful,
real
work.
That s
an
important
part
of
our
added
value.
• With
traditional
static
manuals,
we
assume
that
the
documentation
provides
meaning
(and
learning)
to
the
user
about
the
product.
• In
reality,
it
is
the
product
that
gives
meaning
to
the
docs:
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

18. It’s Not the Same Thing!
• We
create
assistance
for
users
that
tells
them
how
to
perform
useful,
real
work.
That s
an
important
part
of
our
added
value.
• With
traditional
static
manuals,
we
assume
that
the
documentation
provides
meaning
(and
learning)
to
the
user
about
the
product.
• In
reality,
it
is
the
product
that
gives
meaning
to
the
docs:
• Reading
about
the
product
remains
abstract...
• …until
the
user
is
confronted
with
the
reality
of
having
to
use
the
product.
The
activities
are
separated.
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved

19. The Solution
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2012-­‐2013
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Gallon
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20. Embedded UA and Our Role
Can
you
design
a
proper
embedded
user
assistance
system
without
working
on
the
interface
design?
Can
you
write
user
assistance
content
without
reference
to,
and
involvement
in,
the
non
content
of
the
interface,
messages,
and
other
operational
linguistic
material
of
the
software?
Do
you
work
in
an
agile
environment?
Are
you
present
in
design
meetings?
Do
you
have
a
common
strategy
for
all
the
content
delivered
in,
alongside,
and
in
complement
to
the
software?
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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21. Is memorizing a procedure by rote necessary
for competency?
Is
it
“
STEP 1 minim
STEP 2 back
al”
if
to
the users
STEP 3
help
need
H repea
to
go
ow
do tedly?
NOTE:
wants es
a
u
or
ne ser
kn
HAT eds
to ow
if
ON’T
D OT
do
th s/he
e
D
is
task ven
ct
us e
?
odu
ut
pr
arn
abo her
than
hen
ople
best
le hing
rat that
w e
ason
de
th
Pe omet g.
d
to
re e
inclu
oing
s t
somethin t
stan g,”
w
by
d
g
abou Do
esn’t
i y
doin
read in rning
b
lp
the
user
“lea s
th at
he sks?
co ncept to
similar
ta
gener alize
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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22. For
many
yea
rs,
in
our
pro
have
been
sa fession,
we
ying
that
pro
information
cedural
must
be
sepa
conceptual
in rated
from
formation.
“It
is
an
error
to
confuse
a
truth
about
how
to
analyse
something
into
its
parts
with
a
truth
about
how
that
thing
should
be
organised
and
presented
to
users.”
-­‐Mark
Baker
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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23. let s teach our users to fish!
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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24. Not Just Minimal – Minimal and Meaningful
It’s
m
inima
look
a l
and
t
one mean
under
task
ingful
stand helps
if
one
It
many
us
’s
min
relate
quick imal
and
m d
task
s.
look
eanin
bothe tells
u gful
if
r
with s
we
d
one
this
( on’t
n
roduc t
use
or
tha
t
we
d
eed
to
p
rn
about aking
o).
t
lea
bes m
and
People
something cess.
epts
doing s
in
the
pro
conc
by ut
the nd
ction ng
–
p seful
a
conne by
doi ll
be
u
earn
ey
wi
L
ere
th d.
wh
bere
remem Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

25. Kanban Information:
Help Users Learn Your Software Fast
We
want
to
give
the
user
all
the
information
s/he
needs
and
only
the
information
s/he
needs.
We
want
to
deliver
that
information
when
s/he
needs
it
–
which
implies,
at
the
moment
s/he
has
real
work
to
do.
The
logical
conclusion
is
that
user
assistance
needs
to
be
embedded
in
the
software
itself,
in
such
a
way
that:
The
user
can
find
it
immediately,
without
excessive
searching,
if
s/he
needs
it.
If
s/he
doesn’t
need
it,
it
stays
out
of
the
way.
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

26. Kanban Information:
Help Users Learn Your Software Fast
For
the
most
part,
we ve
assumed
that
means
procedures.
Concepts
are
out
-­‐
too
long,
too
messy,
too
irrelevant.
The
user
wants
to
meet
her
or
his
contingent
need.
Some
users
will
infer
underlying
principles
and
concepts
from
repeated
procedures.
Others,
however,
will
not,
unless
we
point
them
to
it
in
some
way.
We
want
the
user
to
understand
the
information
in
a
way
that
s/he
can
apply
it
to
other
situations,
without
needing
to
call
repeatedly
on
the
user
assistance.
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

27. Integrated Competency Learning
+
Cognitive
construction
and
process
reasoning
+Socio-­‐cultural
construction
(information
sharing,
mentoring)
User
Learning Space
WHERE IN THIS SPACE
DO YOU WANT YOUR
USERS?
+Code:
Mastery
of
the
+Thematic
knowledge
language,
interface,
(SME)
iconography...
...AND WHEN????
+
Individually
significant
contextualisation
(contingency)
+Procedural
Memorisation
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved
Adapted
by
Dr.
Neus
Lorenzo
from
Phil
Ball
Keith
Kelly
(2009)
Ref:
http://ow.ly/dLK8g
http://goo.gl/Ul3A2

28. Double Embeddedness
Embed
concep simple
ts dir
into t ectly
User A he
ssista
n c e
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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29. Cognition and Context
Concept
topics
remain
abstract.
Their
application
seems
distant
to
the
user.
Putting
a
sentence
or
two
of
conceptual
information
in
context
(while
the
user
is
performing
the
relevant
task)
reinforces
knowledge
acquisition
and
integration.
Context
is
everything!
Tasks
should
also
explain
why
it
is
interesting
to
do
them
-­‐
again,
in
one
or
two
short
sentences:
Decision
Support
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

30. Cognition and Context
Concept
topics
remain
abstract.
Their
application
seems
distant
to
the
user.
Putting
a
sentence
or
two
of
conceptual
information
in
context
(while
the
user
is
performing
the
relevant
task)
reinforces
knowledge
acquisition
and
integration.
Context
is
everything!
Tasks
should
also
explain
why
it
is
interesting
to
do
them
-­‐
again,
in
one
Lots
of
detail
does
or
two
short
sentences:
not
necessarily
Decision
Support
mean
more
knowledge
Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
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31. Tip
of
the
day
is
cognitively
unusable
because
the
tip
is
presented
out
of
context.
Worth
noting:
on
a
web
site,
it's
useful
for
SEO:
daily
fresh
copy
feeds
Google
page
rank,
and
shares
from
this
do,
too.
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved

32. Double Embeddedness using
Progressive Disclosure
• People
understand
a
system
better
when
you
help
them
prioritize
features
and
spend
more
time
on
the
most
important
ones.
• Progressive
disclosure
says:
1. Initially,
show
users
only
a
few
of
the
most
important
options.
2. Offer
a
larger
set
of
specialized
options
upon
request.
Disclose
these
secondary
features
only
if
a
user
asks
for
them,
meaning
that
most
users
can
proceed
with
their
tasks
without
worrying
about
this
added
complexity.
Presentation
©
2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
all
rights
reserved
Source:
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/progressive-­‐disclosure/

33. DEMO
RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

34. Tool Tip: a DITA Generic Topic
The
abbreviated-­‐form
is
resolved
but
otherwise
ignored
in
the
tool
tip
The
shortdesc
is
what
pops
up
on
hover
The
topic
body
and
link
are
shown
in
the
tool
tip
pull-­‐down
Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

35. Process Query Task Topic 1/2
The
shortdesc
is
reused
from
the
tool
tip
…to
pop
up
a
keyref
that
points
to
a
glossary
entry
This
time
the
abbreviated-­‐
form
is
resolved
on
hover…
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

36. Process Query Task Topic 2/2
• This
topic
groups
together
Many
of
the
tasks
are
conrefs
to
reusable
• It
makes
no
sense
to
related
tasks
that
a
user
components
separate
them
purely
for
probably
needs
to
do
at
taxonomical
consistency
the
same
time
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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rights
reserved

37. RAY
GALLON
CULTURECOM
Thank
You!
Please
visit
my
blog,
Rant
of
a
Humanist
Nerd:
http://humanistnerd.culturecom.net
Email:
infodesign@culturecom.net
Google
Plus:
+Ray
Gallon
Twitter:
@RayGallon
LinkedIn:
Ray
Gallon
arch
d
on
reseoup.
r
t
basesearch
g
ion
Re
enta ty
presion
Socie
his at
s
of
t m
rtionTransfor
Po he
by
t
Presentation
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2012-­‐2013
Ray
Gallon
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reserved