[Sigia-l] When Should a Manual be Web-based?

[Nancy Zacks]

As James said, first think very carefully about how the document will 
be used. I would add that this is ALWAYS the first question to ask. 
Then, consider the information content and architecture.

For example, learning a programming language is usually a fairly 
linear process and also requires examples.  My experience confirms 
that programmers prefer to have a paper document next to them while 
they are learning a programming language (especially if the text has 
a lot of examples). Once they know the language, they prefer an 
online reference. The online version can have code snippets for users 
to experiment with - (I don't think you can copy text from a PDF 
document).

Also consider that a web-based manual represents an entirely new 
interface for the user to deal with. For example, I'm doing a 
web-based tutorial that is linked to a very "texty" web-based 
application. That makes for a lot of windows and text that the user 
must deal with at once....I'm thinking a good old-fashioned paper 
tutorial might be easier to manage. Each format has its advantages 
and disadvantages depending on user requirements, business objectives 
and information content and architecture.

Nancy Zacks
Information Architect and Technical Writer
-- 
The Precise Word
Communications for Research and Technology
info at preciseword.com
www.preciseword.com