Post on 15-Jul-2015
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Minimalism Doesn't Mean No Concepts
Member, Board of Directors
Ray$Gallon
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different
-Peter Drucker
Our job is to help people use our products well and wisely, which means they learn to adapt, and cope with changes in technology and society.
“User” is passive, to me –
you’ve been handed something, use
it – whereas I think what people
are doing is much more actively a
matter of ownership and
appropriation and coming to
control a new tool in a new environment…" - John Carroll
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
“Users” are Learners“…‘learners’$focuses$on$the$human$development$and$appropriating$new$
knowledge$and$skill,$which$I$think$is$really$more$the$essence$of$what’s$going$on.”$
1 0 0 B 0 0 3 3 - , B C 0 -2- 0 0 -
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
eLearning:$InstructionNfocused$learning,$presenting$content$that$the$learner$must$remember$or$practice,$conducted$via$electronic$media,$typically$on$the$Internet$
eKnowledge:$Information$you$can$look$up$
User$Assistance:$Guidance$that$helps$you$start$doing$real,$useful$work$as$quickly$as$possible.$May$include$eKnowledge.
But User Assistance is Not Training
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Two$common$ideas$about$minimalism:$
Don’t$waste$user’s$time$with$unnecessary$detail,$especially$concepts$Save$money$in$production$and$localization$with$reduced$content
Procedures Aren’t EnoughSTEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3
DO THIS
DON’T DO THAT
WARNING!NOTE:
Is$memorizing$a$procedure$by$rote$
necessary$for$competency?If$conc
epts$are$importan
t,$how$
do$we$include$the
m$without$
“wasting$users’
$time?” How$do$I$know$if$I$need$to$do$this?
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Not Just Minimal – Minimal and Meaningful
Minimal$and$meaningful:$one$task$helps$
us$understand$many$related$tasks.Minimal$and$meaningful:$one$quick$look$
tells$us$we$don’t$need$to$bother$with$this$
(or$that$we$do).
People$best$learn$about$product$us
e$by$
doing$something$and$making$connections$
in$the$process.$
Learn$by$doi
ng$–$put$the$
concepts$where$
they$will$be$u
seful$and$rem
embered.
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Provide Decision SupportUser$assistance$that$is$limited$to$procedures$cannot$help$people$with$contingent$needs.$
People$with$contingent$needs$are$not$going$to$wade$through$long$conceptual$texts.$
Modern software’s complexity, features, & power can leave users perplexed – often just when they
have some immediate, contingent need:
“I$need$to$get$this$done,$and$NOW!.”
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
In$traditional$“static” documentation,$the$product$gives$meaning$to$the$docs.$Users’ experience$with$the$product$takes$them$from$the$abstract$realm$of$reading$about+the$product...$
Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
In$traditional$“static” documentation,$the$product$gives$meaning$to$the$docs.$Users’ experience$with$the$product$takes$them$from$the$abstract$realm$of$reading$about+the$product…$
to$the$reality+of+performance.
Experience is More Important than Taxonomy
The$real$meaning,$then,$is$embedded$in$the$realm$of$action!
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Get$straight$to$procedures$
Don’t$waste$user’s$time$with$unnecessary$detail,$especially$concepts$
Procedural$information$must$be$separated$from$conceptual$information.
Everything We Know…
IS WRONG!..
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Double Embeddedness
Embed$pro
cedural
$
User$As
sistance
$directly
$
into$the
$Interfac
e
Embed$simple$concepts$directly$into$the$User$Assistance
Cognitive$Science$$(and$John$Carroll)$backs$this$up$
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$GallonThe$Tran
sformatio
n$Society
@TransformSoc$@RayGallon
Active Learning: Learning by Doing Roger$C.$Schank’s$Schema$N$We$remember$independent,$selfNcontained$scripts,$or$Memory$Organization$Packets$(MOP’s)
Restaurant Airplane Clothing$Shop
PayBeing$seated Eat
Choose
Romantic$Conversation
PayBeing$seated Eat
Choose
Pay
Choose
Fasten$Seatbelt
Try$on
MOP’s$are$composed$of$scenes,$which$can$be$generalized$from$one$MOP$to$another
Serve$wine
REF:$http://cogprints.org/637/1/LearnbyDoing_Schank.html
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Active Learning: Learning by Doing
Restaurant Airplane Clothing$Shop
PayBeing$seated Eat
Choose
PayBeing$seated Eat
Choose
Pay
Choose
Fasten$Seatbelt
Try$on
MOP’s$are$composed$of$scenes,$which$can$be$generalized$from$one$MOP$to$another
Serve$wine
REF:$http://cogprints.org/637/1/LearnbyDoing_Schank.html
Networks$of$Scenes
Choose$Network
Pay$Network
Eat$Network
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
We$want$to$give$the$user$all$the$information$s/he$needs$and$only$the$information$s/he$needs.$
We$want$to$deliver$that$information$when$s/he$needs$it$–$which$implies,$at$the$moment$s/he$has$real$work$to$do.$
The$logical$conclusion$is$that$user$assistance$needs$to$be$embedded$in$the$software$itself,$in$such$a$way$that:$
The$user$can$find$it$immediately,$without$excessive$searching,$if$s/he$needs$it.$If$s/he$doesn’t$need$it,$it$stays$out$of$the$way.
Kanban Information: Help Users Learn Your Software Fast
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
The Place to Learn Concepts is When Performing Tasks
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
We$often$use$concepts$to$introduce$&$lead$into$multiple$tasks:
Blending Concepts and Tasks: Kanban Information meets DITA
We$don't$know$how$else$to$do$it,$but$this$is$an$inappropriate$use$of$conceptual$information:$
Not$good$cognitive$development$Not$good$Kanban
$Concept:This$concept$explains$what$this$element$of$the$interface$is$all$about.$It$is$used$in$the$following$tasks:
Task$1
Task$2
Task$3
Task$4
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Blending Concepts and Tasks: Kanban Information meets DITA
<task>$Topic$General$conceptual$information$using$<context>
Includes$decision$support$
Step$1$<cmd>$
<stepresult>$–$What$happens$after$execution$–$can$include$why
Step$2$<cmd>$$
<info>$–$Use$when$there$is$no$result.$Embeds$concepts$pertinent$to$the$step.$Should$relate$to$the$task,$and$be$generalisable$to$other$similar$tasks,$if$appropriate
Why$not$use$the$DITA$Task$topic$structure$to$deliver$conceptual$information$where$it$will$do$the$most$good$and$be$best$remembered?
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Semantic$structure$of$the$XML$is$maintained$
Users$are$served$
This$example$not$specific$to$DITA$–$GENERALIZE$IT!
Blending Concepts and Tasks: Kanban Information meets DITA
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
20$years$in$technical$communication$with$major$companies$such$as$G.E.$Healthcare,$Alcatel,$IBM,$etc.$
Member,$board$of$directors,$Society$for$Technical$Communication$(STC)$
Past$president,$STC$France$
AwardNwinning$radio$producer$and$journalist$–$CBC,$NPR,$France$Culture,$etc.$and$former$programme$manager,$WNYCNFM,$New$York$Public$Radio
I’m Ray Gallon - The Humanist NerdResearch$collaborator$and$principal,$The$Transformation$Society,$a$new$research$and$training$institute$in$Barcelona,$Spain
Owner/Consultant,$Culturecom$–$specialist$in$$$business$process$improvement$through$communication
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@TransformSocThe$Tran
sformatio
n$Society
What We Do
Analyse$your$needs$and$help$you$get$a$jump$on$complexity$
Help$you$design$and$architect$a$content$strategy,$user$information$systems,$communication$
Work$with$you$to$capture$value$from$your$users$
Workshops,$webinars,$or$training$to$help$manage$and$adapt$to$change
The$Tran
sformation
$Society
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Thank
Email:$ infodesign@culturecom.net
Google$Plus:$$$+Ray$Gallon$Twitter:$$@RayGallon$
LinkedIn:$$$$$$Ray$Gallon
RAY$GALLONC U L T U R E C O M
Pass$me$your$business$card Let’s$talk!
Blog:+Rant+of+a+Humanist+Nerd+http://humanistnerd.culturecom.net
Portions+of+this+presentation+based+on+research+by+
the+Transformation+Society+Research+group.