Difference between revisions of "Documentation/Dashboard/Competitive Documentation Analysis"
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* User Manual | * User Manual | ||
− | * Office internal help files <br /> - Macros help<br /> - Corel TUTOR<br /> - PerfectExpert | + | * Office internal help files <br /> - Macros help<br /> - Corel TUTOR<br /> - PerfectExpert* |
* Learning Center on the web <br /> - tutorials<br /> - tips&tricks<br /> - How to videos | * Learning Center on the web <br /> - tutorials<br /> - tips&tricks<br /> - How to videos | ||
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* User Manuals for each application | * User Manuals for each application | ||
|} | |} | ||
+ | "* PerfectExpert is a tool for beginners, a totally conceptual help with templates and tutorials that provide advice and guidance specific to the task" | ||
Line 75: | Line 76: | ||
* Index, full-text search and contents tab in one help module | * Index, full-text search and contents tab in one help module | ||
* Chapters of contents tab grouped but unsorted | * Chapters of contents tab grouped but unsorted | ||
− | * "Find on this page" icon to search in a help page | + | * "Find on this page" icon to search in a help page |
+ | * PDF docs: Indexes are rare in OOO docs, OOO user manual lacks an index and has an unclear table of contents | ||
|| | || | ||
* Only one search box to enter phrases or words | * Only one search box to enter phrases or words | ||
Line 84: | Line 86: | ||
* Support button in the UI (web support) | * Support button in the UI (web support) | ||
* Index, full text search and contents tab in each help module | * Index, full text search and contents tab in each help module | ||
− | * Full text search allows search for similar words | + | * Full text search allows search for similar words |
+ | * PDF docs: detailed table of contents and index | ||
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− | * Table of contents <br /> index | + | * Table of contents, <br /> index |
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− | * Table of contents <br />(index) | + | * Table of contents, <br />(index) |
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* Table of contents | * Table of contents | ||
Line 176: | Line 179: | ||
* '''Navigation''' <P> to see how links and cross-references are used </p> | * '''Navigation''' <P> to see how links and cross-references are used </p> | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: #666; margin-left: 3em;" | ||
+ | |- bgcolor="#DDD" | ||
+ | ! OpenOffice.org/StarOffice !! Microsoft Office !! WordPerfect Office !! SoftMaker Office !! GNOME Office !! KOffice | ||
+ | |- bgcolor="#FFF" valign="top" | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * On help pages ◄► and “Home” (browser type) | ||
+ | * Links as cross-references to other chapters or web sites | ||
+ | * Links to definitions | ||
+ | * Links to "Related Topics" | ||
+ | * PDF docs: Cross-references in OOO User manual are rare | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * On help pages ◄► and “Home” and "Top of the page" (browser type) | ||
+ | * Links as cross-references to other chapters or web sites | ||
+ | * Links to definitions | ||
+ | * "See also" section | ||
+ | * Links to subchapters in long articles | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * On help pages ◄► and "Top of the page" (book type) | ||
+ | * Links as cross-references to other chapters or web sites | ||
+ | * "Related Topics" button | ||
+ | * Within PerfectExpert: browser like navigation, link to web help and other help modules | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * Detailed cross-references to other chapters | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * On help pages ◄► (browser type) | ||
+ | * Links as cross-references to other chapters | ||
+ | * Table of contents on each site | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * On help pages ◄► and “Home” (book type) | ||
+ | * Links as cross-references to other chapters or web sites | ||
+ | * Must always browse back to table of contents to select a subject | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
* '''Contents organization''' <p> to answer the questions "Where are the contents?" and "Are the contents easy to find?" | * '''Contents organization''' <p> to answer the questions "Where are the contents?" and "Are the contents easy to find?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| cellpadding="5" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: #666; margin-left: 3em;" | ||
+ | |- bgcolor="#DDD" | ||
+ | ! OpenOffice.org/StarOffice !! Microsoft Office !! WordPerfect Office !! SoftMaker Office !! GNOME Office !! KOffice | ||
+ | |- bgcolor="#FFF" valign="top" | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | * Nearly no help contents on the web | ||
+ | * Context-sensitive help in dialogs is mostly referential info | ||
+ | * OOO offers User manual, Setup guide, How to's, FAQs, tutorials and templates on the web | ||
+ | * For OOO How to's it is not easy to recognize to which software version they apply | ||
+ | * SO "Getting Started Guide" delivered with the product | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * Help is much more than a search for info to command the program (possible search for users, updates, demos, training... on the web). But searching the web can be confusing | ||
+ | * Context-sensitive help in dialogs is rare. Extended help is well elaborated. | ||
+ | * Good user guidance in the program (single entry point to the help) | ||
+ | * Expanding function allows to embed info for beginners | ||
+ | * No printable (PDF) docs available | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * Help is extended to the web (menu item, Yahoo! search box, support button) | ||
+ | * Application help of the package is organized in different modules for different target groups (Macros help, context-sensitive PerfectExpert help, Corel TUTOR, WordPerfect Help) | ||
+ | * Similar look and feel of help modules enables quick orientation but can be confusing in the beginning. | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * No application help (only PDF manuals) | ||
+ | * PDF manuals available on the web | ||
+ | * For every application exists one manual (similar look and feel) | ||
+ | * Clear table of contents (three heading levels) and comprehensive index allow to find info quickly | ||
+ | * Combination of reference book and tutorial | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * Different look and feel of the help modules makes orientation difficult | ||
+ | * Contents are not well organized because chapter titles are misleading or not meaningful (ex.: "How to" contains only conceptual info) | ||
+ | * No printable (PDF) docs available | ||
+ | || | ||
+ | * Similar look and feel of the help modules enables quick orientation. | ||
==Recommendations for OpenOffice== | ==Recommendations for OpenOffice== |
Revision as of 09:33, 2 July 2007
Competitive Documentation Analysis
<Abstract>
Contents
Project Owner
Competitor Products
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Writer | Word | WordPerfect | TextMaker | AbiWord | KWord |
Calc | Excel | QuattroPro | PlanMaker | Gnumeric | KSpread/KChart |
Impress | PowerPoint | Presentations | Presentations | - | KPresenter |
Draw | - | - | (vector drawing integrated in TextMaker) | (GIMP/Inkscape) | Karbon14/Krita |
Base | (Access) | (Paradox) | DataMaker | Gnome-DB | Kexi |
Math | - | - | Editor for math. formulas | - | Kformula |
Windows, Unix, Linux, (OS X) | Windows, OS X | Windows | Windows, Linux | Windows, Unix, (OS X) | Unix, Linux |
Other competitor products that were not analyzed are:
- iWork and Apple Works from Apple
- Ability Office from Ability Software
- Applixware from Vista Source
- ONE from e-press
- Lotus SmartSuite from IBM (Lotus)
- Papyrus from R.O.M. Logicware
- ThinkFree Office from ThinkFree Office
- Mariner Pak from Mariner Software
For further information look at Comparison of office suites in Wikipedia
Competitive Analysis
- Documentation types:
to get an overview of how much documentation is designed for being printed and how much documentation is designed for online use, and to see what different types of documentation are existing (help, manuals, tutorials, training courses, videos, tips and tricks ...)
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
"* PerfectExpert is a tool for beginners, a totally conceptual help with templates and tutorials that provide advice and guidance specific to the task"
- Search functions
to have a closer look at the different search functionalities in Application Help and printed documentation (search boxes, index, glossary, chapter headings ...)
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Information types
to rate the distribution of the four information types:
- instructional information: detailed stepwise instructions
- conceptual information: explanation of specific office terms, particularly important for beginners
- referential information: functional descriptions (of dialog items or spreadsheet functions for example)
- examplary information: examples that help to understand actions and concepts.
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Visualization
to examine the visual elements that help understanding text (graphics, icons, tables, screenshots, colors, layout)
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Graphics | none | to explain concepts (for ex. footers) | to explain concepts, with captions | none | none | to explain concepts, barely used |
Icons | for buttons, notes, tips | for tips, notes | for buttons, tips, notes | for buttons | for buttons, tips, notes (badly integrated in text) | for buttons (badly integrated in text) |
Tables | for shortcut lists and some other stuff | for shortcut lists and Excel functions | for shortcuts lists, QuattroPro functions and instructional text ("You can also...", "To ... do the following") | simple but clear, for shortcut lists, commands, icon explanations | barely used and in a mess | barely used |
Screenshots | in spreadsheet examples and to explain the workspace | to explain screen elements | in spreadsheet examples and to explain the workspace | to explain the workspce and particular screen elements, frequent in instructional information | no consistent use | frequent in instructional information |
Colors | none | for headings and definitions | none | for notes and tips background, bullets and numbers and marks in screenshots | for marks in screenahots | for marks in pictures and terminal commands |
- Navigation
to see how links and cross-references are used
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Contents organization
to answer the questions "Where are the contents?" and "Are the contents easy to find?"
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice | Microsoft Office | WordPerfect Office | SoftMaker Office | GNOME Office | KOffice | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Recommendations for OpenOffice
|