Providing Documentation and User Training

1.1.9 Different methods of providing user documentation
1.1.10 Different methods of delivering user training

IB Subtopics

Providing User Documentation

You product will need to have documentation about its use and its technical engineering. Documentation like inline comments and JavaDocs are necessary for programmers, but it’s also necessary for users to be able to find ways to get help with different features of the product. The user documentation should include all of the instructions that are mandatory for the system to operate and should contain frequently asked questions, which are always necessary for new users.

There are a variety of ways to provide online and offline guidance for the users:

• Manuals
  • Online and offline formats should be available.
• Email Support
• Embedded Assistance or integrated assistance
  • This refers to tutorials that are delivered inside of the application and have been built-in by the engineering team.
• FAQ
  • Online and offline formats should be available.
• Live Chat sessions
• Remote Desktop Connections
  • This can be used when technicians need to take over the user’s computer, with their permission, to troubleshoot.

Delivering User Training

Aside from documentation, certain products will require that you provide at least one user training session to the client or target audience. Users can be trained through self-instruction, formal classes or online training.

Self-Instruction

This can be beneficial when time and budgets are limited. Users learn through the provided documentation and online materials that other users have developed. While helpful, this can be quite challenging as users need a high-level of motivation to learn a program well.

Formal Classes

This is a traditional classroom, delivered in person or online, in which an instructor takes students through a set of predefined exercises that explain how a product works.

Self-Paced Instruction Materials

This option can be quite beneficial as it is more structured than self-paced learning and more flexible than formal classes. Users can access materials created by an instructor, usually through a learning management system like Canvas or Google Classroom. These materials take users through a set of exercises and are available whenever the user needs them. While this doesn’t provide a high level of interaction with other users, like a formal class would allow, it is a cheaper and more flexible solution.