...
- Low-Tech Quick Looks-- static web pages (even simpler than videos) that faculty can look at in a spare 5 or 10 minutes, with boxes and arrows, like Oxford's explanation of the Wiki tool. Public, with no login required.
- Pop-up on initial entry to site
- On first access to a site, person is presented a simple welcome pop-up with three options: video overview, getting started tutorials, or exit.
- Pop-up is role-based. Students see student materials, instructors, etc.
- Tool help
- Tool-based help pages should be easily navigated by the person's role in the site (yet other role materials accessible but not cluttering the current view). Students report getting lost in the help pages since it's not clear which pages are for them.
- A document librarian
- Maybe we need to define a set of community guidelines (a manifesto?) on what constitute good user design. For instance, tools designed with the user in mind, with embedded help prompts or a clear workflow, don't require as much documentation. The closer the help is to the task, the better.
NOTE: Improvements to the design of the learning environment (many of which are planned in S3) will also go a long way in improving the ease and usability of the service. Providing mouse-hover tool tips and other prompts will offer "just-in-time" support on the page. Of course, this will not eliminate the need for helpful built-in documentation and other support pages.