Contenu connexe Similaire à Minimalism Doesn't Mean No Concepts (11) Plus de The Transformation Society (20) Minimalism Doesn't Mean No Concepts1. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Minimalism Doesn't Mean
No Concepts
Member, Board of Directors
Ray$Gallon
2. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
The only thing we know about the future
is that it will be different
-Peter Drucker
Our job is to help people use our
products well and wisely, which
means they learn to adapt,
and cope with changes in
technology and society.
“User” is passive, to me –
you’ve been handed something, use
it – whereas I think what people
are doing is much more actively a
matter of ownership and
appropriation and coming to
control a new tool in a newenvironment…"
- John Carroll
3. RAY$GALLON
C 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 -
4. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$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$eKnowledge.
But User Assistance is NotTraining
5. RAY$GALLON
C 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 Enough
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
DO
THIS
DON’T DO THAT
WARNING!
NOTE:
Is$memorizing$a$procedure$by$rote$
necessary$for$competency?
If$concepts$are$important,$how$
do$we$include$them$without$
“wasting$users’$time?” How$do$I$know$if$I$need$to$do$this?
6. RAY$GALLON
C 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$product$use$by$
doing$something$and$making$connections$
in$the$process.$
Learn$by$doing$–$put$the$concepts$where$
they$will$be$useful$and$remembered.
7. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Provide Decision Support
User$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$NOW!.”
8. RAY$GALLON
C 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 thanTaxonomy
9. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$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 thanTaxonomy
The$real$meaning,$then,$is$embedded$in$the$realm$of$action!
10. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$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!..
11. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Double Embeddedness
Embed$procedural$
User$Assistance$directly$
into$the$Interface
Embed$simple$concepts$
directly$into$the$
User$Assistance
Cognitive$Science$$(and$John$Carroll)$backs$this$up$
12. Presentation$©$2014$Ray$GallonThe$Transformation$Society
@TransformSoc$@RayGallon
Active Learning: Learning by Doing
Roger$C.$Schank’s$Schema$N$We$remember$independent,$selfN
contained$scripts,$or$Memory$Organization$Packets$(MOP’s)
Restaurant Airplane Clothing$Shop
Pay
Being$
seated
Eat
Choose
Romantic$
Conversation
Pay
Being$
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
13. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Active Learning: Learning by Doing
Restaurant Airplane Clothing$Shop
Pay
Being$
seated
Eat
Choose
Pay
Being$
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
16. RAY$GALLON
C 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 LearnYour Software Fast
17. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
The Place to Learn Concepts is
When Performing Tasks
18. RAY$GALLON
C 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 andTasks:
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
19. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$Ray$Gallon@RayGallon
Blending Concepts andTasks:
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$remembered?
20. RAY$GALLON
C 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 andTasks:
Kanban Information meets DITA
21. RAY$GALLON
C U L T U R E C O M
Presentation$©$2014$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$Radio
I’m Ray Gallon -The Humanist Nerd
Research$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