Excellent step-by-step example
Posted: 23 Jul 2019 13:36
While reading through the Tour, I came across the page about Finding Files with XYplorer. It has three "practical examples" clearly showing the power of XY for common search tasks that many people would find useful. These three examples should form the basis for a solid basic understanding of the search facility.
That's the good news. The not so good news is that it's buried in The Tour, one of many available help files. What I would find much more helpful would be a separate "Step-By-Step" or "Learn By Example" section organized hierarchically (tree structure) and searchable. Users could contribute sequences of steps to do common tasks. Feedback could correct errors and improve clarity.
If I want to know how to rename a bunch of files, I could just scroll down to the Rename section and look over the examples.
Ideally, each example could make use of hyperlinks to other examples or sections of the reference manual. That would allow the examples to be written in the most efficient and correct way without being "dumbed down" or worrying about what the user knows or doesn't know. If a user comes across a term or concept that they do not understand, they just click on the hyperlink, get up to speed with that information, and then return to the example they wanted to learn. New users only need to learn as much of the total product as they need for the immediate task. Over time, of course, they would learn all or most of the product, but only as they need it. There would be no need to learn a new language by reading a dictionary.
The hyperlinks would open up in a new window that when closed would return the user to where they were in the previous window. And that would work at as many levels as needed.
The examples could suggest or refer to other features of the product that the user might want to explore thereby helping them to learn an ever expanding range of skills.
This would not require a lot of work by the developers other than setting up the system as users would contribute, correct, and maintain most of the examples.
There could be a few (but not too many) "intro" examples to get new users familiar with the screen layout and teach basic navigation skills then let them go to the task-specific examples.
As a new user of any non-trivial product, I find reading reference manuals daunting and off-putting. I know it's the traditional way of documenting product features and it is a necessary reference tool, but it's horribly inefficient and even error-prone as a learning tool. A dictionary is a necessary reference tool for any language, but children are not taught to read by studying a dictionary. They are given a few of the most common words in sentences that make sense to them. As they gain skills, the books get more and more complicated. I don't know when kids are first introduced to a dictionary, but I bet it's not in the early grades.
I first looked at XY in 2014, but didn't have the time to wade through the learning curve, so stayed with WE. I tried again a few years later because WE is so bad, but was again put off by the learning curve. I have more time now, so I'll give it one more try. But if there had been more step-by-step examples that were easier to find, I would probably have been a user for 5 years now.
ymmv
That's the good news. The not so good news is that it's buried in The Tour, one of many available help files. What I would find much more helpful would be a separate "Step-By-Step" or "Learn By Example" section organized hierarchically (tree structure) and searchable. Users could contribute sequences of steps to do common tasks. Feedback could correct errors and improve clarity.
If I want to know how to rename a bunch of files, I could just scroll down to the Rename section and look over the examples.
Ideally, each example could make use of hyperlinks to other examples or sections of the reference manual. That would allow the examples to be written in the most efficient and correct way without being "dumbed down" or worrying about what the user knows or doesn't know. If a user comes across a term or concept that they do not understand, they just click on the hyperlink, get up to speed with that information, and then return to the example they wanted to learn. New users only need to learn as much of the total product as they need for the immediate task. Over time, of course, they would learn all or most of the product, but only as they need it. There would be no need to learn a new language by reading a dictionary.
The hyperlinks would open up in a new window that when closed would return the user to where they were in the previous window. And that would work at as many levels as needed.
The examples could suggest or refer to other features of the product that the user might want to explore thereby helping them to learn an ever expanding range of skills.
This would not require a lot of work by the developers other than setting up the system as users would contribute, correct, and maintain most of the examples.
There could be a few (but not too many) "intro" examples to get new users familiar with the screen layout and teach basic navigation skills then let them go to the task-specific examples.
As a new user of any non-trivial product, I find reading reference manuals daunting and off-putting. I know it's the traditional way of documenting product features and it is a necessary reference tool, but it's horribly inefficient and even error-prone as a learning tool. A dictionary is a necessary reference tool for any language, but children are not taught to read by studying a dictionary. They are given a few of the most common words in sentences that make sense to them. As they gain skills, the books get more and more complicated. I don't know when kids are first introduced to a dictionary, but I bet it's not in the early grades.
I first looked at XY in 2014, but didn't have the time to wade through the learning curve, so stayed with WE. I tried again a few years later because WE is so bad, but was again put off by the learning curve. I have more time now, so I'll give it one more try. But if there had been more step-by-step examples that were easier to find, I would probably have been a user for 5 years now.
ymmv