minimalism doesn't mean no concepts

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



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



“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 -



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



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?



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.



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!.”



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



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!



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!..



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



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



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



The Place to Learn Concepts is When Performing Tasks



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




<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?



Semantic$structure$of$the$XML$is$maintained$

Users$are$served$

This$example$not$specific$to$DITA$–$GENERALIZE$IT!




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


Thank

Email:$ [email protected]

Google$Plus:$$$+Ray$Gallon$Twitter:$$@RayGallon$

LinkedIn:$$$$$$Ray$Gallon


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.

minimalism doesn't mean no concepts

Technology

gallonc u

t u r e c o mpresentation

users experience

static documentation

contingent need

instructionnf user assistance

new tool

help softwares complexity