What
do you think about HELP systems--online help, tutorials, etc.? Do they
work? Are they substitutes for good design? That is, if the design were
better and more "obvious," would you really need these help or tutorial
systems?
I think Help documentations usually do not work very well, because as Jensen Harris mentions in page 173 of the book, users "won't know the terminology they need to locate the right information."It is hard to find the information you want immediately as you turn on the help system. Also, I believe most help systems are in languages than pictures, so some users may find it hard to get help on what they want to do.
However, HELP systems on online are helpful. I rarely use help documentations these days because if I search help for my program or application on the internet, they have lots of resources around and mostly they are explained in easier ways.
For an obvious design, I think HELP systems are needed because there can be a possible situation of having flaw on my program. Usually, flaws of program are hard to find the solution on your own. If there are HELP systems to solve these flaws, then it would be very useful.
For project #5, categories of people can be fans of superheroes who buy toys a lot, and patriots. I think it is obvious to target fans of superheroes who are willing to pay for toys related to their favorite superheroes. And I thought patriots were good for personas because superheroes are usually patriots of their own countries, so it is possible to assume that patriots are more likely to be in these stuff. They are mostly the same group as fans of superheroes.
I liked how you brought up the point that the terminology can be very confusing when searching for help within help documentations. I agree that the online help systems are useful because I use them more often than anything else. From a business perspective, it's a good idea, like you said, to develop a persona for people who buy a lot of toys for their kids. That's how a company will make a lot of its money. Finally, I agree with the statement that even if a concept has an obvious design, it still needs a help system to go along with it because someone will have trouble with something.
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