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Context-sensitive help provides relevant information to software users based on their activity. Design considerations include trigger mechanisms, user interface, content, and customization options. Challenges include understanding user intent and cost. Content traditionally directed users to official documentation, but some companies have moved towards question and answer formats. Context-sensitive help can also be useful for navigating large websites using content management systems.
Context-sensitive help is information provided by a software application to users based on user activity. Its purpose is to deliver relevant information quickly and efficiently. Factors to consider when designing a context-sensitive help system are the activation mechanism, user interface, content, and customization options. Key challenges include understanding user intent and the cost of the help system.
Trigger mechanisms are the means by which the user requests help. Typical triggers include the F1 key, a symbol in the application toolbar, and a right-click. Triggers can also include custom key combinations, some voice commands using speech recognition software, touch screens, or other easy-to-access interfaces.
The user interface can take the form of pop-ups, hints, or a multiple-choice screen that asks the question: “What were you trying to do?” Built-in context-sensitive help attempts to answer the most likely questions anywhere in the software by providing instructional text as the user works. Customization options give the user the ability to turn off unnecessary or annoying features.
Content is central to the aid project. Traditionally, software directed the user to complete official documentation. This documentation often contained examples, syntax rules, and cross-references. As the Internet has continuously become available to many users, software companies have put their help systems online. Some companies have abandoned writing their own help content and instead referred the user to a search engine.
In 2011, some observers believed that the development of context-sensitive aids was in decline. Instead of documentation, software vendors have started offering question and answer formats or how do I do this. In these cases, the user learns about an activity but is likely unaware of possible refinements. As a result, many users may have used less than the full functionality of the program.
Other experts have argued that users have stopped reading the manuals. Their focus groups indicate user-favorite information delivered in a conversational style. These experts described comprehensive documentation as wasteful and said it hindered their ability to compete. The lack of documentation has spawned a publishing industry specializing in third-party software manuals.
Websites using content management systems (CMS) can be positioned to add useful context sensitive help systems. CMS sites store content in databases and website formatting and layouts are separate from the content. While these sites are not applications, context-sensitive help can be useful when navigating large sites. CMSs used as user interfaces for applications or other database-based solutions could help reduce the cost of these labour-intensive systems.
