Writing User Guides and Training Scripts

[Lunatic]

Here's the skinny of it: I'm hoping to draw out advice from the members of this forum on how to create user guides and training scripts that are successful in relaying the necessary information to the selected audience.

Any advice you can offer on things like:

* How to write a training script to introduce an audience to an online database driven system

* Things you have found that maximize the usefulness of screenshots in user guides

* Any suggestions on how to avoid confusing retirees when introducing an online, database driven, system (a very large chunk of our field staff are retired educators)

* Pits or traps you've learned to avoid when talking about systems

* Is it ever better to give a slide-show presentation of a system than actually conducting a live demo?

I'm having the most difficulty designing the training scripts so if anyone has any suggestions or experience on how to write a training script that is going to be used by 8 different trainers at the same time I would really, really appriciate it.

 

[Gooser]

Santa, I truly respect both you, your deep pools of wisdom, and your font of knowledge and advice... just pokin' fun for the sake of pokin' fun. Hence, the

--Gooser

 

[Lunatic]

Question... (yes, I know, another one)

One of the problems I'm having writing the user guide and trainer script at the same time is that I use the same words for both. However a phrase that works well in a trainer script does not necessarily read as well. For example:

"When you log in to the system you will see all of the subordinates in your region..."

That works well as a trainer scripts because the trainer will be talking to the supervisors. However, if you were to read the same line in a user guide, would it still be appropriate?

Maybe I'm too close to the situation, maybe it works in both cases, but it seems to me that I should be able to find a better phrase for the user guide, but for the life of me I cannot come up with a way of stating that in another manner.

Any thoughts?

Signed ---

Confused in UserGuide/TrainerScriptland

 

[CajunCenturion]

In this case, who are the users, who are the subordinates, and what is the true relationship between them?

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[SQLSister]

I would rephase that to say something along the lines of:
Supervisors logging into the system will see all of their subordiates' information as well as their own. Non-supervisors will only see their own information.

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[Lunatic]

SQLSister - thank you! I knew it was something simple ;p

Cajun - This user guide is designed specifically for supervisors who will enter their immediate subordinates timesheet information and review their subordinates' subordinates (sorry, there are terms for these positions but they may not be as easy to understand as that confusing phrase) timesheet information.

I love this board, and the people that seem to live here ;p Thank you again!

 

[gbaughma]

I love this board, and the people that seem to live here

You know, I'm still waiting for my own room....for some reason, I got room-mated with SilentAiche....



Just my 2¢

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