Finding Help in All the Right Places
Software help systems usually get a pretty bad rap. The users who rely on them (oddly enough, statistics show they are often more experienced users) are quick to point out what’s missing, what doesn’t work, what isn’t helpful. And because help systems are where people go when they are up against an obstacle and want an answer fast, there’s a level of frustration built into pressing F1 and looking through a help system for the answers.
If you are the type of user who prefers to find your own way through a new program, you will most likely click through all the menus and explore the available options, trying to figure things out yourself instead of consulting a resource like help. If you are the type of user who reads the manual (Hello! This book is for you!), you are likely to turn to the printed page (or keep the book handy while you explore the software on your own). So where does the help system fit in? Help is where you go when none of these other resources is producing what you need to get unstuck; and when help is one of your last stops, you really want it to produce the answer you need. Fast.
For administrators, help that’s done well can be a first line of support for their users who are new or unfamiliar with a Microsoft Office system application. A brief introduction to the help system can plug users in to a steady stream of troubleshooting ideas (and creative resources such as templates, online training, and more) that in the long run can save your company valuable time and money that might have been spent chasing down an answer that was just a few clicks away. And a help resource that meets users where they are and offers a range of detail in the help that is provided—from a simple tool name (tooltips) to how-to articles, templates, community newsgroups, videos, and training—provides a level of continuing support beyond the reach of most stand-alone applications.
Changes in the 2007 Release Help System
The changes in the 2007 release help system are designed to get you the best answer for your questions as quickly as possible. The new Microsoft Office system help viewer has been designed to provide a variety of ways to find, display, and preserve the help information relevant to what you’re trying to accomplish.
Figure 3-1 shows the Microsoft Office system Help window. The toolbar includes the familiar navigation tools—Back, Forward, and Stop—as well as a new Refresh tool you can click to update the content of the window as needed. The Application Home tool gives you the option of accessing additional information related to the program you are currently using.
Figure 3-1. The new look of the 2007 Microsoft Office system Help window
Four additional tools help you find and view help information, and then preserve the information you find. The TOC button enables you to display a listing of help topics related to the current application (as shown in Figure 3-2), the Text Size tool increases (or decreases) the size of the text in the Help window, the Print tool prints the current window, and the Pin tool lets you “pin” the current Help page open so that you can refer to it while you work.
The Return of F1If you’re a fan of pressing F1 to get context-sensitive help while you’re working with your favorite application, you’ll be pleased to know that F1 is back in the Microsoft Office system. According to Mike Kelly from Microsoft Office Online, “There was a technical reason why it was difficult to do in 2003 that we fixed in 12. So while you won’t always see context-sensitive links when you press F1, you will always get to help where you can search...and we will do context-sensitive links for the most common dialogs (one of the other advantages of online help—we know what are the most popular searches and context-sensitive requests and can focus on improving those first).”[1] |
[1] Mike Kelly, from Office Online, commenting on Jensen Harris’s blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/jensenh/archive/2005/11/29/497861.aspx.
More than a Name: Super Tooltips
One of the important design goals of the new look and feel of the Microsoft Office system was to unclutter the work area and give you only the tools and options you need to accomplish your current task. Super Tooltips offer a new way to get contextual help that comes and goes without taking up a lot of room on the screen.
Super Tooltips give you more information than traditional tooltips (which display only the name of the tool at the mouse pointer position). Although tooltips display for all tools in the the 2007 release interface, Super Tooltips are used only for those items that need a little more explanation. For example, consider the Super Tooltip displayed when the pointer is positioned on the Format Painter tool (see Figure 3-3).
Figure 3-3. Super Tooltips provide more information than the simple tool name.
The developers of the help system in the 2007 release have envisioned Super Tooltips as the missing link between the user interface and the help system. Not only do Super Tooltips provide the expanded descriptions, contextual suggestions, and sometimes even images but they also link back to the help system so you can press F1 for more detailed information about that particular command. When you finish with the Super Tooltip, click outside the box to close it.
New Offerings from Microsoft Office Online
Microsoft Office Online has new and improved visibility in the core applications—Microsoft® Office Word® 2007, Microsoft® Office Excel® 2007, Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® 2007, and Microsoft® Office Access® 2007. When you create a new document by choosing New from the File menu, the opening window gives you several choices: You can choose a template; select an existing file; start with a blank document; or scroll down to the Microsoft Office Online area and click links there to find tips, tutorials, downloads, and additional templates for your application.
Microsoft Office Online has been totally redesigned to streamline and expand the support experience. In addition to detailed help information, you’ll find how-to articles, training links, demonstrations, quizzes, IT and developer pages, Microsoft Security, Ask The Community, and more. Additionally, you can find resources to help you with specific needs, such as Work Essentials, Enterprise Solutions, Microsoft Learning, and Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007. Be sure to check out Microsoft Office Online and take advantage of the resources available to help you get the most out of the 2007 release.