WordPress Help System
Author
I created the WordPress Help System with my colleagues Cheyenne Banner, Brad Jones, and Kim Olsen in a course called Software Documentation.
Context
Software Documentation is a course which emphasizes the study and practice of writing documentation for computer software, including printed manuals, tutorials, reference guides, and online help systems. By working as a documentation team, my colleagues and I analyzed prospective users and their tasks, wrote user-friendly text, edited documentation for style and clarity, and used RoboHelp HTML software to compose the online help system.
In the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at UALR, students are required to know how to create an electronic portfolio for a variety of classes. Additionally, both undergraduate and graduate students of the Professional and Technical Writing program are required to complete electronic portfolios upon graduation. However, many students are intimidated by this requirement as they have not had previous exposure to creating a website and do not know what programs are available to assist them. We chose to document the process of creating a portfolio in WordPress to give students exposure to one of the most professional and widely-used content management systems of our time.
Audience
Our audience was students in the Rhetoric and Writing department who need to know how to create an electronic writing portfolio. Specifically, we wrote the text for technophobic, novice users who are intimated by the mere thought of showcasing their work online.
Purpose
The purpose of this help system was to assist students in adapting WordPress (a blog platform) to create an electronic writing portfolio.
Work Process
Our goal was to create a help system that would have a relaxed, friendly, and conversational tone and minimalist style that would set even the most technophobic user at ease. We included video tutorials and detailed screen captures to break down complex information into manageable, meaningful tasks.
We based our help system around an automotive-oriented theme to “drive home” the symbol of the WordPress Dashboard as the control center that makes a portfolio “go,” or come to life. Though much of our automotive-inspired language and metaphor got washed away during subsequent edits, remnants of the theme still persist in the traffic light-themed color choices of the “Note” boxes (red to indicate danger, yellow to indicate caution, and green to indicate a helpful tip).
Each member of our team collaborated on writing content (complete with screenshots and video), uploading content to RoboHelp, and performing assigned edits. Perhaps the greatest lesson that I learned through this project was to test a site's usability as early and with as many users as possible. I learned that even testing a site with one user—who may not even be considered representative of the actual, intended user—is infinitely better than not conducting any usability test at all. Though it was challenge to meld four distinct author's voices into a cohesive narrative, with team work, the use of a style sheet, and delegation of editing passes, we forged ahead into field of software documentation.
I created the WordPress Help System with my colleagues Cheyenne Banner, Brad Jones, and Kim Olsen in a course called Software Documentation.
Context
Software Documentation is a course which emphasizes the study and practice of writing documentation for computer software, including printed manuals, tutorials, reference guides, and online help systems. By working as a documentation team, my colleagues and I analyzed prospective users and their tasks, wrote user-friendly text, edited documentation for style and clarity, and used RoboHelp HTML software to compose the online help system.
In the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at UALR, students are required to know how to create an electronic portfolio for a variety of classes. Additionally, both undergraduate and graduate students of the Professional and Technical Writing program are required to complete electronic portfolios upon graduation. However, many students are intimidated by this requirement as they have not had previous exposure to creating a website and do not know what programs are available to assist them. We chose to document the process of creating a portfolio in WordPress to give students exposure to one of the most professional and widely-used content management systems of our time.
Audience
Our audience was students in the Rhetoric and Writing department who need to know how to create an electronic writing portfolio. Specifically, we wrote the text for technophobic, novice users who are intimated by the mere thought of showcasing their work online.
Purpose
The purpose of this help system was to assist students in adapting WordPress (a blog platform) to create an electronic writing portfolio.
Work Process
Our goal was to create a help system that would have a relaxed, friendly, and conversational tone and minimalist style that would set even the most technophobic user at ease. We included video tutorials and detailed screen captures to break down complex information into manageable, meaningful tasks.
We based our help system around an automotive-oriented theme to “drive home” the symbol of the WordPress Dashboard as the control center that makes a portfolio “go,” or come to life. Though much of our automotive-inspired language and metaphor got washed away during subsequent edits, remnants of the theme still persist in the traffic light-themed color choices of the “Note” boxes (red to indicate danger, yellow to indicate caution, and green to indicate a helpful tip).
Each member of our team collaborated on writing content (complete with screenshots and video), uploading content to RoboHelp, and performing assigned edits. Perhaps the greatest lesson that I learned through this project was to test a site's usability as early and with as many users as possible. I learned that even testing a site with one user—who may not even be considered representative of the actual, intended user—is infinitely better than not conducting any usability test at all. Though it was challenge to meld four distinct author's voices into a cohesive narrative, with team work, the use of a style sheet, and delegation of editing passes, we forged ahead into field of software documentation.
