Your comments and input is welcome - please e-mail them to the STF285 Leader, bruno@vonniman.com

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)

Early DRAFT ETSI Guide

Human Factors;User education guidelines for

mobile terminals and e-services

ETSI

Reference

<DEG/HF-00070>

Keywords

< e-Inclusion, Guidelines, Human Factors, MMI, Technical communicator, Terminals, User guide, User education, User experience, User manual, User Interface >

ETSI

650 Route des Lucioles

F-06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex - FRANCE

Tel.: +33 4 92 94 42 00 Fax: +33 4 93 65 47 16

Siret N° 348 623 562 00017 - NAF 742 C

Association à but non lucratif enregistrée à la

Sous-Préfecture de Grasse (06) N° 7803/88

Important notice

Individual copies of the present document can be downloaded from:http://www.etsi.org

The present document may be made available in more than one electronic version or in print. In any case of existing or perceived difference in contents between such versions, the reference version is the Portable Document Format (PDF). In case of dispute, the reference shall be the printing on ETSI printers of the PDF version kept on a specific network drive within ETSI Secretariat.

Users of the present document should be aware that the document may be subject to revision or change of status. Information on the current status of this and other ETSI documents is available at

http://portal.etsi.org/tb/status/status.asp

If you find errors in the present document, please send your comment to one of the following services:http://portal.etsi.org/chaircor/ETSI_support.asp

Copyright Notification

No part may be reproduced except as authorized by written permission.The copyright and the foregoing restriction extend to reproduction in all media.

© European Telecommunications Standards Institute yyyy.

All rights reserved.

DECTTM, PLUGTESTSTM and UMTSTM are Trade Marks of ETSI registered for the benefit of its Members.TIPHONTM and the TIPHON logo are Trade Marks currently being registered by ETSI for the

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)2

Contents

Intellectual Property Rights.........................................................................................................................6

Foreword (B)...............................................................................................................................................6

Introduction (B)...........................................................................................................................................6

1 Scope (All)........................................................................................................................................9

2 References (B+All)...........................................................................................................................9

3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations (B)....................................................................................113.1 Definitions.................................................................................................................................................113.2 Symbols.....................................................................................................................................................123.3 Abbreviations............................................................................................................................................12

4 The role of user education in ICT products and services (MB)......................................................124.1 The increasing relevance of good user education.....................................................................................124.2 Legal and safety considerations................................................................................................................144.3 Cost-benefit trade offs...............................................................................................................................154.4 Localisation...............................................................................................................................................154.5 Analysis of user education for today’s IT products and services..............................................................16

5 Principles of user education (PP)....................................................................................................165.1 “Know thy user”........................................................................................................................................165.1.1 Segmentation of the user by new technology adoption style..............................................................175.1.2 Other ways to user segmentation.........................................................................................................185.1.2.1 Segmentation by region.................................................................................................................185.1.2.2 Segmentation by gender.................................................................................................................185.1.2.3 Segmentation by age......................................................................................................................185.1.2.4 Other type of segmentation............................................................................................................185.2 User education in products and e-services life cycle................................................................................185.3 Factors influencing the usage of user education supports.........................................................................195.3.1 User education support generic overview...........................................................................................195.3.2 Factor influencing the usage of user education...................................................................................225.3.2.1 Offer related influence factors.......................................................................................................225.3.2.2 User related influence factors........................................................................................................235.3.3 Usage behaviour toward documentation.............................................................................................24

6 Generic guidelines...........................................................................................................................256.1 Requirements on content...........................................................................................................................256.1.1 Generic requirements...........................................................................................................................256.1.2 Existing recommendations..................................................................................................................256.1.3 Requirements for the setup of terminals and e-services......................................................................266.2 Requirements on process...........................................................................................................................266.3 Illustrations................................................................................................................................................276.3.1 General................................................................................................................................................276.3.2 Existing recommendations..................................................................................................................276.4 Content management.................................................................................................................................27

7 Paper-based UGs (MF)...................................................................................................................287.1 General......................................................................................................................................................287.1.2 Proposed contact with publishers........................................................................................................287.2 Formats......................................................................................................................................................287.2.1 297.3 Formal structure........................................................................................................................................297.3.1 General................................................................................................................................................297.3.2 General recommendations...................................................................................................................297.4 Consistency, logical structure...................................................................................................................297.5 Main and secondary guides.......................................................................................................................307.6 Legal and regulatory requirements (safety and security)..........................................................................30

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)3

7.6.1 General................................................................................................................................................307.6.2 Existing recommendations.................................................................................................................30

8 UG in the device/SID (Support In the Device) (MF)......................................................................318.1 Help texts..................................................................................................................................................318.2 Demonstrations.........................................................................................................................................328.3 Interactive tutorials, assistants, avatars.....................................................................................................328.4 Audio guides (see above)..........................................................................................................................338.5 Links to online guidance...........................................................................................................................33

9 Web-based UGs (MT).....................................................................................................................339.1 Adavantages and disadvantages of Web based information.....................................................................339.1.1 Advantages of the screen.....................................................................................................................349.1.2 Disadvantages of the screen................................................................................................................349.2 Writing for the screen................................................................................................................................349.3 Organising the screen................................................................................................................................349.2.1 Text......................................................................................................................................................349.2.2 Space....................................................................................................................................................359.2.3 Graphics...............................................................................................................................................359.3 Keeping updated........................................................................................................................................359.4 Text-based, tutorials, try-me’s..................................................................................................................35

10 User guides on CD-ROM (MT)......................................................................................................3510.1 Adavantages of CD-based information.....................................................................................................36

11 Audio UGs (MB)............................................................................................................................3611.1 On CD or on the web or in the devices.....................................................................................................3611.2 DfA (see below) or to be used in the car / on the train.............................................................................36

12 Other ways of providing information (MB)....................................................................................3612.1 User groups and forums............................................................................................................................36

13 User education and design for all (MB+BvN)................................................................................3613.1 User education for elderly users................................................................................................................3613.2 User education for visually-impaired users...............................................................................................3713.3 User education for hearing-impaired users...............................................................................................3713.4 User education for users with cognitive impairments...............................................................................3713.5 User education for users with communication impairments.....................................................................3713.6 User education for children.......................................................................................................................37

14 Evaluation of user education...........................................................................................................3714.1 Background...............................................................................................................................................3714.1.1 General................................................................................................................................................3714.1.2 Usability and accessibility of user guidance.......................................................................................3814.2 Method......................................................................................................................................................3814.2.1 General................................................................................................................................................3814.2.2 Test tasks.............................................................................................................................................3914.2.3 Materials..............................................................................................................................................3914.2.4 Sample.................................................................................................................................................3914.2.5 Analysis and reporting.........................................................................................................................3914.2.6 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................39

15 Other issues.....................................................................................................................................3915.1 Terminology (MF)...............................................................................................................................3915.2 Handling operator specific needs in user guidance (MB).........................................................................4015.3 Special issues for guidance on e-services (BvN)......................................................................................4015.4 What is the current research on user guides? What can we learn from there? (All).................................4015.5 The future of user education (PP).............................................................................................................40

Annex A (normative): Collective table of all guidelines (BvN)...........................................................41

A.1 Collective table of all guidelines.....................................................................................................41

A.2 Guideline examples- just for now...................................................................................................42A.2.1 Terminal-specific guidelines.....................................................................................................................42

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)4

A.2.1.1 Example guidelines...................................................................................................................................42

Annex B (informative): If any (All).......................................................................................................43

B.1 First clause of the annex..................................................................................................................43B.1.1 First subdivided clause of the annex.........................................................................................................43

Annex N (informative): Bibliography (BvN)........................................................................................44

Temporary annex: Previously done in EG 202 132 (All).....................................................................457.4 User guides and reference documentation................................................................................................457.4.1 General................................................................................................................................................457.4.2 Proposed generic approach to user-guide creation..............................................................................45

History.......................................................................................................................................................47

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)5

Intellectual Property RightsIPRs essential or potentially essential to the present document may have been declared to ETSI. The information pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found in ETSI SR 000 314: "Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs); Essential, or potentially Essential, IPRs notified to ETSI in respect of ETSI standards", which is available from the ETSI Secretariat. Latest updates are available on the ETSI Web server (http://webapp.etsi.org/IPR/home.asp).

Pursuant to the ETSI IPR Policy, no investigation, including IPR searches, has been carried out by ETSI. No guarantee can be given as to the existence of other IPRs not referenced in ETSI SR 000 314 (or the updates on the ETSI Web server) which are, or may be, or may become, essential to the present document.

Foreword (B)This ETSI Guide (EG) is being produced by ETSI Technical Committee Human Factors, Specialist Task Force 285, during March 2005- September 2006.

The EG is being produced in coordination with DEG 202 416, Setup…

The ETSI Membership Voting Procedure is foreseen to take place during September-November 2006; the published version is anticipated for December 2006.

Intended users of the present document are technical communicators, user experience and interaction design professionals, developers of mobile terminals, e-services and applications, mobile network and system providers, terminal approvers and standard writers and developers.

Introduction (B)Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a key role in the everyday life of many people and mobile communication services are a mass market (in 2004, at least 80% of EU citizens were using them) [25].

New applications and e-services are increasingly used to perform necessary or entertaining tasks. Connectivity and interoperability between telecommunications networks, personal computing, the Internet and ever-smarter mobile devices and e-services offer enormous potential for improving life, if used as intended and used by all. Users who cannot understand and learn how to efficiently use their devices, e-services and integrated or additionally offered applications will be permanantly excluded from the eSociety. Ensuring access to mobile communication for all is a common goal of vendors, operators, service providers, user associations, as well as policy makers, often talking about the creation of the e-inclusive information society.

In the past, the question of the “digital divide” defined the “haves” and “have-nots” mainly in economic terms, dividing those who can afford new technology from those who cannot. Technological progress in network and infrastructure deployment and manufacturing and economy-of-scale effects in household availability and service provision make access to e-services affordable to the largest proportion of the European society. In the mean time, a new facet of a possible “digital divide” becomes visible, namely the one that is related to the comprehension of how to use new devices and e-services. This latter aspect of the “digital divide” has direct economic and societal consequences as the uptake of mobile e-services will only be at a successful level if the new devices and e-services can actually be accessed, set up and used by the European citizens.

It has to be recognized that many existing e-services (both broadband and narrowband) cannot be fully utilized by many users due to difficulties in either installing and configuring e-services on their devices or understanding the full potential of these e-services. These obstacles to a full use of fixed and mobile broadband ICT e-services are even more emphasized by a number of developments in society:

Changing population demographics: The number of elderly people and people with special needs is growing rapidly, requiring additional support and dedicated efforts for those unable to cope with every day’s technology.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)6

Population mobility: As more and more people access e-services from mobile devices only offering limited user interface capabilities, it is required to optimize the user experience of terminals with focus on service access and use of the accessed e-services themselves.

Increasing user expectations: Users are getting used to plug-and-play systems with fully configured components. Similar, natural expectations are automatically projected to mobile e-services and must therefore be addressed.

Advanced e-services deployed with a social interest (e.g. telecare services) without a certain level of pre-requisites these often advanced e-services build on (e.g. comfort of use, development of a trusted relation, basic skills and familiarity), such e-services will not be able to launch.

Access to e-services by all: In order to close the accessibility gap between technology-aware and conservative or less skilled user groups, it is necessary to offer access to e-services for everyone.

Increasing variability in the segmentation of customers: from children at the age of 6 or 7 years to senior users aged over 80, members of the entire community will develop specific reasons and request access to broadband e-services.

User’s inability and lack of interest to cover important (but in a normal, user-centred, functionality-oriented scenario, less relevant) aspects of their communication such as security aspects: according to recent reports (Gartner Group Conference 2004: IT Security Summit), more than two thirds of the successful hacker attacks on wireless clients are due to unsatisfactory configuration of access points and clients.

Human resource limitations: the complexity of mobile e-services exceeds the ability of many users while personal assistance and support cannot be easily offerred at an affordable cost.

As the hurdle to using remote e-services is the highest for first-time users with limited skills, experiences and previous knowledge, it is required that first access to e-services is simplified as far as possible and clear guidance on how to configure and use a service, as well as a description of features and limitations of specific e-services are made available.

From the perspective of digitally networked homes and society and in order to be able to make proper use of the smart solutions and devices deployed, it becomes more important than ever that users are enabled to understand access and use the offered capabilities. Future architectures assume that users will select service providers independently of the access mechanism, roam between delivery networks, based upon their subscription profiles and define their service needs with regard to the quality, security, privacy and cost of the service. We believe this goal is nearly impossible to achieve, if the generic user knowledge level is not increased and the complexity of set-up and configuration procedures not reduced.

This document provides a clear set of guidelines on how user instructions ought to be provided, taking into account the requirement of different user groups (e.g. young, elderly, disabled and less literate users) and the possibilities offered by different media.

Operators of e-services and applications will benefit directly, as many features that are under-used today may generate more ARPU in the future if better user instructions help users to discover these features. Furthermore, the necessity for user support is expected to be reduced.

The obvious benefits for all end users will be reflected by a reduced digital divide, opening up access to and the use of the potential of future systems and e-services in the information society for all.

The target of work is to emphasize opportunities for simple but generic solutions that are commercially attractive to network operators and equipment and service providers for delivery as a sustainable revenue generating activity, which opens access to information and communications technologies to consumers who might otherwise be excluded.

This will also ensure that users will receive user instructions and other guidance that are:

appropriate for the user’s level of expertise and cognitive abilities;

using media or a combination of media that benefits the largest range of users; and

are structured in a way to offer good navigation throughout the guide.

The guidelines have been developed by and discussed and agreed with key players of the ICT industry in a consensus-oriented way. They have also been presented aty various key events and consensus building workshops.

The guidelines provided in the present document have a strong practical focus on the most common difficulties and problems faced by ICT users. The recommendations provided also take into consideration the constraints faced by the

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)7

ICT industry in the provision of user education e-services.Bruno: put this and the subsequent paragraph somewhere meaningful

The improved user education helps end users to discover, understand and make use of new and existing e-services. Consequently, this also benefits service and network operators through increased service uptake. In addition, this will also benefit society as a whole by ensuring improved access to mobile information and communications technologies (ICT) for consumers who might otherwise be excluded (e.g. elderly users or users with impairments).

Need a paragraph introducing the structure of the document.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)8

1 Scope (All)The present document provides guidelines for the development, presentation, and evaluation of user education such as paper-based user guides or digital help systems for mobile terminals and e-services. The aim of the present document is to provide generic guidelines, based on broad consensus, that help increase the uptake and usage of mobile e-services for available and emerging mobile infrastructures.

Appropriate examples of best practices are provided to ensure that users will receive user instructions and other guidance that are appropriate for the user’s level of expertise and abilities, using media or a combination of media that benefits the largest range of users; and that are structured in a way to offer good navigation throughout the guide.

Wherever possible, a Design-for-All approach has been adopted, taking special needs of children, elderly users and users with physical or sensory disabilities into account. It is acknowledged, however, that some users with very extensive and complex disabilities may have requirements beyond the level addressed in the guide. Furthermore, mechanisms for user instructions documents are explored that facilitate the production of specific versions of user guides, addressing users with specific requirements.

2 References (B+All)The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present document.

References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or non-specific.

For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.

For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies.

Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found at http://docbox.etsi.org/Reference.

[1] ETSI EG 202 132: "Guidelines for generic user interface elements for mobile terminals and services".

[2] ETSI TR 102 125: "Human Factors (HF); Potential harmonized UI elements for mobile terminals and services".

[3] ETSI ETS 300 907: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Man-Machine Interface (MMI) of the Mobile Station (MS) (GSM 02.30 version 5.7.1 Release 1996)".

[4] ETSI TR 102 068: "Human Factors (HF); Requirements for assistive technology devices in ICT".

[5] ETSI ES 202 076: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Generic spoken command vocabulary for ICT devices and services".

[6] ETSI ES 202 130: "Human Factors (HF); User Interfaces; Character repertoires, ordering rules and assignments to the 12-key telephone keypad".

[7] ETSI EG 202 116: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for ICT products and services; "Design for All"".

[8] ETSI TR 102 133: "Human Factors (HF); Access to ICT by young people: issues and guidelines".

[9] ETSI ETR 297: "Human Factors (HF); Human Factors in Video telephony".

[10] ETSI EG 202 191: "Human Factors (HF); Multimodal interaction, communication and navigation guidelines".

[11] ETSI EG 201 379: "Human Factors (HF); Framework for the development, evaluation and selection of graphical symbols".

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)9

[12] ETSI TR 101 767: "Human Factors (HF); Symbols to identify telecommunications facilities for deaf and hard of hearing people; Development and evaluation".

[13] ETSI ES 201 381: "Human Factors (HF); Telecommunications keypads and keyboards; Tactile identifiers".

[14] ETSI ETR 095: "Human Factors (HF); Guide for usability evaluations of telecommunications systems and services".

[15] ETSI ETR 329: "Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for procedures and announcements in Stored Voice Services (SVS) and Universal Personal Telecommunication (UPT) ".

[16] ETSI TS 122 101: "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Service aspects; Service principles (3GPP TS 22.101 version 5.13.0 Release 5)".

[17] ETSI EN 301 462: "Human Factors (HF); Symbols to identify telecommunications facilities for the deaf and hard of hearing people".

[18] ETSI EG 201 013: "Human Factors (HF); Definitions, abbreviations and symbols".

[19]  Sony Ericsson accessibility Web

NOTE: Available at: www.sonyericsson-snc.com. Last check:

[20] Nokia Accessibility Web

NOTE: Available at: http://www.nokiaaccessibility.com/. Last check:

[21] FCC Accessible Wireless Web

NOTE: Available at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/accessiblewireless.html. Last check:

[22] FCC Consumer facts

NOTE: Available at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/hac.html. Last check:

[23] … Swiss consulting company

NOTE: Available at: http://www.zeix.com/user-education. Last check:

[24] Eurostat: Internet usage by individuals and enterprises 2004. ISSN 1561-4840, catalogue number: KS-NP-05-018-EN-N, 2005.

NOTE : Available at: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/newsroom/cf/newsletterarchivedetail.cfm?day=13&month=5&year=2005&type=daily. Last check: May, 2005.

[25] Name of site

NOTE: Available at: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/topics/ecomm/all_about/todays_framework/ index_en.htm

[26] TCeurope SecureDOC (2004): "Usable and safe operating manuals for consumer goods - A Guideline".

NOTE: Available at: http://www.tceurope.org/pdf/securedoc1_04.pdf.

[27] ETSI TR 102 202: "Human Factors (HF); Human Factors of work in call centres".

[28] ETSI EG 201 472: Human Factors (HF); Usability evaluation for the design of telecommunications systems, services and terminals (2000)

[29] ISO 9241-11: Guidance on Usability (1998) please add to Refrences

 

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)10

3 Definitions, symbols and abbreviations (B)

3.1 DefinitionsFor the purposes of the present document, the following terms and definitions apply:

design for all: design of products to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for specialized adoption

emergency call: call from a user to an emergency control centre

end user: see user.

e-service: an ICT service that provides the complete capability, including terminal equipment functions, for communication between users, systems and applications, according to agreed protocols (hmmm…)

function: the abstract concept of a particular piece of functionality in a device or service

ICT devices and services: devices or services for processing information and/or supporting communication, which has an interface to communicate with a user

impairment: any reduction or loss of psychological, physiological or anatomical function or structure of a user (environmental included)

manual: see user guide

on- line tutorial: computer-assisted instruction technique; interactive, user-controlled and typically multimodal, introducing new information sequentially, on a step-by-step basis

spoken command: verbal or other auditory dialogue format which enables the user to input commands to control a device, service or application

technical communicator: communications specialist who processes complex technical information into a format comprehensible to defined end-users to enable them to carry out an action or to understand a concept.

NOTE: Main work areas include user information policy advice, documentation projects management and the design and creation of user-oriented information devices.

terminal: physical device which interfaces with a telecommunications network, and hence to a service provider, to enable access to a telecommunications service

NOTE: A terminal also provides an interface to the user to enable the interchange of control actions and information between the user and the terminal, network or service provider.

usability: effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users can achieve specified goals (tasks) in a specified context and particular environments, see ETR 095 [Ref] and ISO 9241-11 [Ref]

NOTE: In telecommunications, usability should also include the concepts of learnability and flexibility; and reference to the interaction of more than one user (the A and B parties) with each other and with the terminals and the telecommunications system, see ETR 116 [Ref].

user: person who uses a telecommunications terminal to gain access to and control of a telecommunications service or application

NOTE: The user may or may not be the person who has subscribed to the provision of the service or owns the terminal. Also, the user may or may not be a person with impairments.

user education: any information provided to users of a product or service on the functionality provided by the product or service and any instructions on how this functionality is to be used

NOTE: User education can be provided through a range of media from paper to multimedia

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)11

user guide: technical communication documents, intended to give assistance to users using a particular product. They are written by a technical writer and are also known as “manual”.

user interface (UI): physical and logical interface through which a user communicates with a telecommunications terminal or via a terminal to a telecommunications service (also called man-machine interface, MMI)

NOTE: The communication is bi-directional in real time and the interface includes control, display, audio, haptic or other elements, in software or hardware.

user requirements: requirements made by users, based on their needs and capabilities, on a telecommunication service and any of its supporting components, terminals and interfaces, in order to make use of this service in the easiest, safest, most efficient and most secure way

3.2 SymbolsFor the purposes of the present document, the following symbols apply (will be deleted, if not applicable):

<symbol> <Explanation>

3.3 AbbreviationsARPU Average Revenue Per Unit (or User)CD-ROMGPRS General Packet Radio ServiceGSM Global System for Mobile telecommunicationHTMLICT Information and Communication TechnologiesISP Internet Service ProviderITU-T International Telecommunications Union - Telecommunication standardization sectorMMI Man-Machine InterfaceMMS Multimedia Message ServiceM-Services Mobile data ServicesOMA Open Mobile AllianceOTA Over-The-Air configurationP3P Privacy Preferences ProtocolPIN Personal Identity NumberPDFSMS Short Message ServiceUG User GuideUI User InterfaceUMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication SystemVCRWAP Wireless Application ProtocolWi-Fi Wireless-Fidelity (ISO/IEC local area network standard family 802.11, also known as WLAN)

4 The role of user education in ICT products and services (MB)

4.1 The increasing relevance of good user educationThe user guide of a product is an important part of the overall user experience, and it therefore contributes to the user’s general perception and evaluation of the product’s quality. Just like advertising, packaging, industrial design and the user interface, the user guide is one of the means through which a brand expresses its values and messages, and the perceived quality of the user guide reflects directly on the brand image.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)12

A common-sense statement often heard is that the user guide for a product would be superfluous if the quality of the product’s user interface was sufficiently good. While this is undoubtedly true, it is unlikely that there ever will be fully self-explanatory ICT products. Some of the reasons for this are:

Many mobile ICT products are highly complex – the feature sets of standard mobile phones or cordless phones frequently exceed 200 functions;

Mobile ICT products have miniaturised input and output devices (compared to personal computers) with the display often presenting only six or less lines of a complex menu. Therefore, the means of representing complex functionality to the user are very limited;

There is a continuing trend towards ever more miniaturised products which increases the problem above even though screen resolution is increasing;

Mobile ICT devices “evolve” fast: users replace their mobile product after three or four years, sometimes even more frequently, and receive a different device in terms of functionality and available services, requiring a great deal of learning;

In the past, data-processing devices were used only by trained operators. Today, mobile ICT devices are mass-market products with an increasing number and range of functions whilst the users are less specialised. This is increasing the usability gap (see e.g. ETSI EG 202 132);

Many user-interface concepts of mobile ICT products (and in particular of smart phones) are borrowed from the user interfaces of personal computers. There are, however, marked differences in many cases where users are led to expect the mobile product to be handled and to behave like a personal computer while the PC desktop philosophy is supported only to a limted degree (e.g. icons that cannot be moved / copied and pasted);

Many mobile ICT products interact with personal computers or other devices (e.g. for synchronising agenda items or for transferring music files). The user, therefore, needs to understand not only how to use the mobile device but also how this device interacts with others;

Many users struggle to understand the difference of feature concepts and their concrete implementations, e.g. the fact that a mobile phone’s number “resides” on the SIM card and that the phone will not respond anymore to a particular number if the SIM card has been replaced;

Services are often presented in a seamless way where some functions are local and others provided by the network. For the user, this distinction is not always transparent even though there may be cost implications. Generally, the interests of network operators and users tend to conflict: while network operators strive at increasing ARPU, users tend to aim at minimising air time: the challenge for the user is to understand which costs are associated with a particular functionality;

There are increasingly more possibilities for errors caused by the device, the service, the network or the user, i.e. the user needs to cope with more complex situations than before.

In addition to the above, many users report that they manage to set up and use a new product or service without the need for a user guide, so why is there problem? Firstly, if a user doesn’t know about or understand a particular function or service, s/he is unlikely to use it, thus missing out the opportunity of benefiting from what the device or service has to offer. This will also mean that the service provider will miss out on the chance of earning revenue. User education can play an important role not only in explaining how to use a feature or service, but only on explaining that this feature or service exists at all and how it can benefit the user. Hence, user education plays a crucial role in service discovery.

As stated above, modern ICT devices are consumer products to be used by the broadest range of consumers. The users of ICT devices and services are, however, not homogeneous in terms of their knowledge about services, features and types of user interfaces. For some, their new mobile phone will be just their latest of a long sequence of devices previously used; and many are familiar with user-interface components such as soft keys and touch screens. For others, however, their new phone may be their first mobile ICT device requiring them to learn entirely new feature and user-interface concepts (this is particularly the case in countries where the users’ first mobile phone is also their first telephone). User education has to reflect the vast range in previous knowledge and has to accommodate both the novice and the expert user. In addition, users make use of different subsets of the device or service functionality: while some users just appreciate the assurance of being reachable in cases of emergency or require the device for specific applications such as telecare, others are keen to explore every aspect of a device or service and to adopt new features at the earliest point in time. The focus of user education cannot be restricted to the one group but has to enable all users to fully benefit from what the device or service has to offer to them.

User education also plays a particularly important role for elderly and/or disabled users who run a serious risk of being left out of the modern information society. ICT has enormous potential for (re-)activating and (re-)integrating people with special needs into society, but only if this new technology can be handled by them. The design of ICT devices and services often excludes certain user groups (e.g. blind and visually-impaired users are excluded if information is being presented only visually). There is, fortunately, a growing body of expertise on how to design ICT devices and services to be used by the largest possible range of users (see e.g. ETSI EG 202 116). To implement features in such a way to

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)13

allow elderly and/or disabled people to use a device or service is one step, the users have also to be aware that these featuers exists and how to use them. User education is, therefore, particularly important for these user groups requiring a design-for-all approach to be taken when designing user guides and other types of user education with the aim of presenting the right information to the disabled user in a suitable (Clause 12 presents principles and examples on how this can be done). A further motivation for considering the needs of elderly and/or disabled users is the fact that often all users benefit from user education produced for people with e.g. limited literacy skills.

User education also plays a role in the context of some well-known problems that potentially hamper service adoption. Some of these problems are:

Users fail to set up their device or service and subsequently cannot use it: many services require certain parameters to be set (e.g. the SMS service centre or parameters required for sending and receiving MMS) before the services can be used (see ETSI EG set-up doc);

Certain features can facilitate the usage of certain services, but only if the user knows the details of his/her personal subscription (e.g. a long press on the key ‘1’ can be used to access the personal mailbox, but the user has to know the subscription number of his/her personal mailbox in order to associate that number to the ‘1’ key and many users to know how to reach their personal mailbox);

User guides are needed in first-use and in error situations. In case of errors, the user needs support in problem solving. A problem like not being able to receive an MMS may be related to the device, the operator service, the service provider, security, PC software, compatibility and other factors. Today’s user guides typically only give help with the mobile device;

Features like Call Forwarding are complex and have certain consequences (if call to subscriber A are forwarded to subscriber B, subscriber A cannot be reached anymore directly, e.g. to turn off Call Forwading to to access a local answering machine; Call Forwarding also leads to additional costs);

Little or no information on tariffing is available for services, the information may be presented on the service providers’ web pages but is not available to the users in the actual situation they need it (e.g. information on roaming costs when calling from abroad).

These and other issues currently limiting the uptake of services can be addressed with adequate user education explainging to users what the service does for them, how it is being used and what the possible consequences are (e.g. the associated rates).

A large number of problems with current user guidance is also known, some of which are:

The user guide is not complete (i.e. the information is not there); The information cannot be found (i.e. the information is there but not where the user is looking for it); The language of the user guide is inadequate (i.e. the language is too abstract, uses unknown abbreviations, uses

technical and/or foreign language terms); The structure of the guide is inadequate (i.e. alphabetical feature list as opposed to the likely order in which users

encounter or use features); The explanation of how to use a feature is to abstract (i.e. the subject index leads the user to a particular page on

which the feature is explains, but an explanation on how to invoke the feature or on how to get to a particular branch in the menu tree is explained elsewhere);

The information cannot be perceived adequately (i.e. in particular elederly users find it unacceptable to read print in 8 points);

The functionality / software implementation is not frozen at the time the user guide has to be completed (or sometimes the software implementation has to be changed at an even later stage) – the user guide is therefore wrong and has to be corrected in later editions.

Solutions for how to deal with these and other problems related to user education are addressed in the remainder of this document.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)14

4.2 Legal and safety considerationsA further motivation for investing in excellent user education can be derived from the various national, regional and international legal and regulatory requirements on user documentation [26]. Some regulations require that a written documentation on how to use the product in the language(s) of the country in which the product is being sold be included with the product. Others specify details on issues such as hazards associated with the use of the product, environments and environmental conditions suitable for product use, and possible age restrictions. In addition, first regulations requiring access to user education also for people with disabilities are being prepared. For more details see Clause 6.7.

4.3 Cost-benefit trade offsThere are a number of benefit associated to providing high-quality user education and risks associated to failing to do so. A careful analysis of the trade-offs of possible costs and benefits is required to identify the appropriate level of quality in user education to be provided to the end user.

Some of the relevant costs and benefits related to providing user education are:

Frustration with a failure to fully being able to use the product can lead to low brand loyalty on the side of the end user and to further negative effects as dissatisfied end users may comment negatively on the product to their friends and colleagues who may consequently abstain from purchasing the product.

Insufficient user education can lead to increased costs in customer care centres. Recently, most manufacturers have started to charge callers (“premium customer care lines”) where calls to customer help lines previously used to be free [27]. Even with calls charged to callers, the costs for an international 7/24 operation of a call centre is costly for the manufacturer. At any rate, having to make (and possibly pay for) a call in order to understand how a product works is rarely a positive experience that strengthens brand loyalty as the time spent in the queue, the fees associated with the call and the effort required from the user (e.g. in providing information and trying to understand the solution that is provided only verbally) are perceived negatively.

The written user guide is often not up to date at the time of print, as last-minute changes to the product (in many cases to its software) cannot be reflected in the documentation. In these cases, it is important to provide the user with information on how to obtain an updated version of the user guide (often provided via the internet) in order to prevent irritation about discrepancies between product and documentation.

In many cases, not even the product is up to date at the time of shipping. Software updates, often OTE (over the air) are offered to eliminate previous software bugs. The end user has to be informed (a) that the update is available, (b) how the update can be conducted, and (c) whether a new user guide is available documenting new or improved functionalities.

Reduce “No trouble found” (NTF) rates More issues to be added to this list

4.4 LocalisationLocalization, i.e. the provision of product and user-guide variants for different markets taking into account local linguistic and cultural differences presents a special challenge as the ICT market is a global market and most manufacturers try to market their products globally. In many countries, the localisation of consumer products is required by regulation. In addition, a reasonable degree of localisation is recommended as users expect to be informed about their product in their own language.

As the costs for localizing products and services are considerable, most manufacturers and service providers restrict their localization efforts to offering different language versions of the user interface (in particular in the menus) and of the user guides. The use of icon-based menus (currently state of the art at least on the main menu level) is an attempt to internationalise aspects of the user interface. Other relevant aspects such as the use of colours or referent objects depicted in incons are usually nor varied, even though they are likely to carry different connotations in different cultures. One of the main challenges related to localising user guides is that as user guides are being completed fairly late in the development process, the localisation efforts of user guides comes after completion of master draft, i.e. at a very late stage. Since all last-minute changes to the master also have to be made to all language variants, correct and complete language variants are only available in later editions.

Some relevant aspects of localisation include:

Dialect variants of particular languages (e.g. Dutch in the Netherlands and in Belgium (Flemish), German in Switzerland and in Germany).

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)15

Use of formal addressing: in some cultures, it is appropriate to address the user in the user interface and the user guide using formal language (“Vous”, “Sie”, “U”, etc.), while in others an informal addressing (“Tu”, “Du”, “Jij”, etc.) may be expected.

Humour expressed in words and images has to be employed with care as some topics may be offensive in some cultures (e.g. depicting animals).

There are cultural differences concerning perceived sexism (e.g. German requires the use of male and female terms describing a person in order to circumvent sexism – the useresse and the user – d Anglosaxon cultures consider this sexist and require both males and females to be addressed with the male term only).

The UGs are written in a source language and then translated into a number of target languages. As the manufacturers have a global market, it is not only the EU that is affected by a standardization of manuals.

It is important to choose a target language, that makes it possible to find good translators to translate the UGs (e.g. to have a language that is only spoken by few people makes it hard to find translators for all languages, in these cases the UG could have to be translated twice, which is a larger risk to have more translating errors). Most companies write the master UG in English. The technical communicators have to bare in mind, that there can be cultural differences that are hard to translate or understand (like humor, moral issues, religion, and dress-codes). Therefore it is good if the language is simple and as clear as possible, with no double meaning and written in short sentences.It is important to check that the chosen font has language support in all possible target languages. When a text is translated from English to e.g. German or Finnish, the number of pages will increase with 20%. This has to be planned for (enough space in box), in order not to have to cut out information for these countries.Translators with technical writer experience that are provided with a terminology database and good Style guides from the company, will be able to produce far user-friendlier translations, than those who do not get this support. One has to bare in mind, that the translators very often neither have a prototype or simulators to see how the product works. Because of this follow ups/validations of the translated UGs are very important.

4.5 Analysis of user education for today’s IT products and servicesCurrent practice and current processes

Finding the cheapest solution, counting pages

Making assumptions about what the user already knows

Good and bad examples of user guidance (includes common mistakes)

Another Office 2003 macro corruption mess- will have to be reinserted!

5 Principles of user education (PP)The users are overwhelmed with terminals and the associated e-services.

As the company Zeix [23] is stating in its Internet:

“I don’t know about this!

Who is not finding the “frequently asked questions” will call the care line.

Who doesn’t understand “ADSL”, will not subscribe for it”

We intend in this chapter to understand from what is User Education made of. We should understand our user not only to provide them the right terminals and e-sercices but also the most suitable support.

The understanding of the user is the pupose of the following section.

5.1 “Know thy user”“Know thy user”, it sounds like a mantra for usability insiders. In order to provide optimal user education and support tools it is recommended to understand your audience and design for it.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)16

You should not make any assumptions about your users but in example you could:

- Go out and meet them.- Gather data about who they are.- Perform testing with them.- Understand how they differ, what their goals are, what their needs are, and how they think and feel.

In the following chapter we will take a look at different ways we could have to better understand our users.

5.1.1 Segmentation of the user by new technology adoption styleOne segmentation possibility is to split the users by the way they are more likely to adopt new technologies. The following modele is based on the adoption curve described in 1995 by Rogers.

Figure 1: New technology adoption style

The innovators are the one who describe themselves as: “I like to buy the latest technology that is right at the cutting edge as soon as it is available”. The Early adopters said rather that: “I may not be the first, but I do like to own the latest technology before most people”.

Innovators and early adopters are driven by the challenge of the new technology. Either they are visionaries and enthusiasts who are willing to accept the risk associated with the new technology for the benefits of its promise, or the urgency of their needs makes the use of the technology mandatory.

“I like to buy the latest technology but only after considering which is best”, admit the early majority group. The late majority rather said that: “I like to buy products that have proven technology rather than simply the latest technology”

Early and late majority groups are pragmatic and conservative, preferring to watch and learn from the experience of early adopters and see why and how the new technology creates value, and are willing to wait and search for a good price.

Then we have the last part of the users, laggards said: “I only buy new technology when it has become standard and there is no alternative”. They really are the sceptics toward new technologies. They avoid change and only do it when there is no other choice.

The user education should address the various needs of those different users.Those different individuals are using different terminals and e-services, so this segmentation has an impact on the degree of complexity of the service of the product bought.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)17

Quite a lot of factors are influencing the user Education. These are the factors that we intend to identify in the next section

5.1.2 Other ways to user segmentation

5.1.2.1 Segmentation by region

Cultural differences

5.1.2.2 Segmentation by gender

The gender preference for one or other another education type differences

5.1.2.3 Segmentation by age

The age preference for one or other another education type differences

5.1.2.4 Other type of segmentation

Abilities/ disabilities

Lifestyle

Personality segmentation

Ericsson is using a consumer segmentations model in five catergories following two axes of positioning the vertical one is stretching between Exploration and Stability and the horizontal one between Lasting Benefit and Instant Gratification.

This segmentation is called “Take Five” and is made of:

Traditionalists, “It’s seems to be reliable, easy to use, it makes life more safe and it’s highly recommeneded – I ‘l buy one too”

Sociables, “I’ve given this some thought and will be a usefull way to improve my quality of life – I know what I want”

Pioneers, “It’s new, advanced, fun and the future – I want it now!”

Materialits, “It’s new, fascinating, fun and looks good- I ant one too”

Achievers, “It’s impressive, helps me in my every day life and it looks like a good deal for me”

(Graph inserted later on)

5.2 User education in products and e-services life cycle User education plays a role throughout the whole products and e-services life cycle. This life cycle could be split in 4 stages: “Pre-purchase/ Pre-subscribe”, “Purschase/subscribe”, “Ownership”, “Repurchsase/Upgrade”.

The following picture is illustrating this.

, on how to probperly discard the product or its components and on how to replace the product. An important issue at the end of the device life cycle is how stored data or settings can be saved or transferred to the replacement device. At this stage, many users may already have displaced or discarded the user guide.

Figure 2: Products & e-Services life cycle from user point of view

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)18

Users needs are differents in each part of the life cycle.

In the “Pre-purchase/ Pre-subscribe” phase

In the “Purschase/subscribe” phase users need information on how to unpack the product or its components, on how to set it up and prepare it for first use,

In the “Ownership” phase users need to how to solve problems arising in terminal or service usage or both at the same time.

In the “Repurchsase/Upgrade” phase users need to know how to probperly discard/dispose of the terminals or its components and on how to replace it with anotherone. An important issue at the end of the life cycle is how stored data or settings. How can they be saved or transferred to the replacement device? At this stage, many users may already have displaced or discarded the user guide for example.

5.3 Factors influencing the usage of user education supports

5.3.1 User education support generic overviewUser education can be provided through different media all of which have their strengths and weaknesses.

Paper-based user guides User education provided in the device itself Web-based user education User guides on CD-ROMs Audio (spoken) user education Customer care via telephone User groups and for a

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)19

Life

cyc

le: P

re-p

urch

ase

Life

cyc

le: P

urch

ase

Life

cyc

le: O

wne

rshi

p

Life

cyc

le: R

epla

cem

ent

Mob

ility

Ease

of u

pdat

ing

Com

plet

enes

s

Use

of A

nim

atio

ns

Flex

ibili

ty

Inte

ract

ivity

Pro-

activ

enes

s (p

ush)

Prom

ptne

ss o

f res

pons

e

Supp

ort o

f har

d-of

-he

arin

g / d

eaf u

sers

Supp

ort o

f vis

ually

-im

paire

d / b

lind

user

s

Supp

ort o

f low

-lite

racy

us

ers

Con

trol

led

by

man

ufac

ture

r

Paper-based UG -- + ++ + ++ -- 0 -- -- 0 -- ++ + - - ++

SID -- ++ + + ++ + - + - + + + + - 0 ++

Web-based UG ++ + 0 + -- ++ ++ ++ + ++ -- + + 0 - ++

UG on CD-ROM -- ++ + + -- -- ++ ++ + ++ -- + + + - ++

Audio -- + + 0 + 0 -- -- -- 0 -- ++ -- ++ ++ ++

Call centre staff + ++ ++ ++ + ++ ++ -- ++ ++ 0 ++ -- ++ ++ +

User groups and fora ++ ++ ++ ++ - + + -- + + + 0 + 0 0 0

Avatars -- ++ ++ + ++ + 0 ++ - + + + + - + ++

Point of sales staff ++ + + + -- ++ 0 -- ++ ++ + + + + ++ +

Friends and family ++ + + + 0 0 - -- + + + + + + ++ --

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)20

How about a matrix table of media and characteristics (mobility, interactivity, suitable for animations, ease of updating, costs,…)?

Guidelines for all of these media are given in subsequent clauses.

Still to be done: When to provide content on which media

Still to be done: Since there are many kind of user support elements, it would be good to find out guidance how the content should be allocated to different medias. For example, what need to be in the printed UG, which part should be onboard and what suppor is expected form the web support.

We identified six different user education type:

Instruction booklet

Quick start guide

CD-ROM

Manufacturer or service providers’ website

Online tutorial

Integrated help in the service or the device

If we take the example of mobile phones the usage of the support vary if the device is a simple or a sophisticated one.

In the following diagram we see that the usage of paper documentation generally only slightly higher, usage of electronic formats notably higher with sophisticated phones (but still at a low level)

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)21

Figure 3: Usage of Instructions by Mobile Phone Type

As a summary about the habits of the users on the overall usage of User education supports we could say:

The instructions delivered with the package are in fact used by practically everyone

In terms of overall use of instructions paper documentation is by far the principal form

Overall, electronic formats such as CD-ROM, manufacturer’s website, integrated help and especially online tutorial, play a subordinate role

Slightly more acceptance of electronic formats among : 'Innovators', those with Internet access (especially high speed) and the owners of sophisticated phones

Somewhat more acceptance of manufacturer’s website among younger phone owners

Usage of electronic formats in developing markets not significantly different from developed markets; exception: Brazil where usage of CD-ROM/website tends towards zero

Different types of user education: push and pull (ex chapter 5.3.3)

To be completed

5.3.2 Factor influencing the usage of user education

5.3.2.1 Offer related influence factors

The offer, product and service related factors that influence the usage of documentation are: the complexity, the sensivity or fragility, how self-explanatory is this offer.

Complexity (see also figure 3)

The more complex the product, the greater the need for a manual

The documentation becomes more relevant with devices that require:

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)22

A great deal of manual/mechanical set-up (e.g. bread-making machine, SLR camera)

Copious programming (e.g. fixed line phone, VCR)

Complex technology/ handling (e.g. camcorder, VCR).

And conversely it exists less need for documentation with devices which:

Require little manual/mechanical set-up

Require little programming

Can be used at least for basic functions

The feeling of complexity decreases with increasing product/category knowledge/experience.

Sensitivity and or fragility

The more scared one is of "breaking" something, the greater the need for a manual . this is closely related to complexity

Self-explanatory

The more self-explanatory the product, the less need there is for a manual. For example products with a display or products with menu options are easier to handle.

Summary & conclusions on offer related issues

We need to balance the general wish of the users for a simplification in the handling of technical products versus the increasing numbers of functions. The manufacturers try to simplify handling, but products are becoming more complex:

- Increase in functions from one product generation to the next- All-in-one devices increasing in relevance (e.g. VCR plus DVD player)

We note that quantitative data shows also slightly more intensive usage of booklet for older people, first time buyers, brand switchers for example who at the same time regard mobile phones as more complex.

5.3.2.2 User related influence factors

Whether or not documentation is used depends heavily on six different parameters:

Product category knowledge

Familiarity with technical devices

Personal environment

Ambition to get to know the product

Experience with user Education particularly documentation

Attitude towards documentation.

We will take a closer look at all those parameters.

Product category knowledge

As we mention earlier two aspects need to be taken in account. Is the user a first time users or a second/third etc? Does he already experience similar terminals or e-services?

Familiarity with technical devices

The general familiarity with technical devices tends to decline with increasing age:

Older users have not grown up with the products as younger users have

Many parents get their children to explain technical products

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)23

'Anglicisation' (increased use of English based wording) of the technical vocabulary widely rejected by old users in Germany or China for example

Personal environment

The personal environment, like friends, relatives, colleagues is generally 'used' for getting tips and help.

This enables a selective, fast and easy learning. The members of the environment often use identical/follow-up models like peer group or family members (often the husband in the case of older women.

Personal experience with documentation

The personal experience with documentation may affect its usage

Negative experience/failures = barrier against using documentation again

Positive experience/successes = confidence to use documentation again

Lack of ambition

In many cases the user has no ambition to master all the functions

Where a product can be partially used! (e.g. mobile phone but not VCR)

"If you don't miss it, you don't need it" (Hamburg)

"If you only want to use the basics, you can manage without documentation" (Beijing)

General attitude

The general attitude of the user plays a role. For some users 'Learning by doing' is regarded as quick and generally leads to success. Additionally the pride of discovering for oneself how something works has a positive impact. Then in this case the documentation usually is only used if everything else fails.

There are considerable individual and cultural differences in how people use education. Individual attitudes to user guides range from ignoring them altogether as a rule to reading them cover to cover before touching the product for the fist time. In some cultures (e.g. Germany) people are more likely to read (parts of) a user guide than in others (e.g. Italy, see P. Honold’s thesis). In some cultures (e.g. China), reading a user guide is considered a weakness (even though they are actually read but it isn’t necessarily admitted), in others (e.g. India), the natural preferred instantiation of user education is the salesperson, and the product or service is used for the first time in the presence of friends or family. Clause 5.2 give more background to the differences in user guide use.

The challenge, then, is to motivate users to spend some time with the user education material provided with their product, inter alia to let them discover the various opportunities provided by the product or service. [need some stuff here or elsewhere on how to motivate users to read the user guide]

5.3.3 Usage behaviour toward documentationDepending on the actual product, documentation is mainly consulted during the set-up phase:

When the product is unpacked/tried

Often just fairly superficial: making sure you haven't missed anything you should know about the product

Later the reference to the documentation is the exception. It is more to refresh memory or to get to know a specific feature (again).

The majority of the user read just some chapters for specific questions/problems, to get to know a new functions or service (e.g. camera, e-mail). A small minority browses or read in more detail just because it is fun of getting to know the product better.

Irrespective of actual usage, the documentation is carefully kept. It provides a feeling of security in case something needs to be looked up (after all) for accessories (e.g. type of vacuum cleaner bag), guarantees and service numbers. The

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)24

users consider the documentation an integral part of the product it is a sign of quality. That’s why the completeness of the sales package for example is very important this means that the product is in good condition

Documentation is kept where people know where to find it. Usually there is one place for all documentation: E.g. in the cellar, a drawer in the living room or in the kitchen. Sometimes the storage is very neatly, even pedantically, e.g. in a box file, in a box.

5.x User education during life cycle

Life cycle model: pre-purchase, purchase, ownership, replacement

Tablle: life cycle phases and media

6 Generic guidelines

6.1 Requirements on content

6.1.1 Generic requirementsCoverage of a broad range of themes and easily locatable information are key

Coverage of all relevant information

Good, precise index to help solve specific problems quickly

Simple, comprehensible wording without seeming to be written "for idiots"

Clear, graphic layout

Some comments from interviews…

Germany: Poor translation into the local language is a deterrent

Daunting to read

Negative impact on brand/product image

China: Documentation in English widely rejected

English hard to understand

Feeling of not being taken seriously as a customer

Bad experience with manuals in English in the past

6.1.2 Existing recommendations There are some recommendations to follow to succeed with writing good User guides:

Experienced staff – only educated and experienced staff should be employed for writing the UGs. These should be promoted within the company; so that they always will have access to the information and prototypes they will need for their work to produce good information solutions.

Standardize the physical formats so that the main effort is put on writing/illustrating good UGs. Decide which templates/fonts/ layout is going to be used. As there are many different formats (headings, lists, illustration etc.) within one UG, it is important that a graphical designer builds the templates. This will increase the readability and understanding.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)25

It is recommended to have processes within the company that are well communicated and set, in order to make other departments aware of the importance of how technical communicators work. And what they need to deliver good user help (see also chapter 13.1 on processes).

There are always things that could have been better explained in a UG. This becomes very clear when the product is released and the users start to use the device. It is therefore recommended to collect all “lessons learnt” for following products and implement the improvements in following UGs (see also chapter 13).

6.1.3 Requirements for the setup of terminals and e-servicesDefine e-services (mobile, web, fixed, profiles?, etc)

and other types

Anything very special to say here? Pekka for example…

6.2 Requirements on processProcesses are much related to the organization itself and its very nature: culture, values and people but also Tools Methods and management system. That is the reason why this is difficult to propose a reference process.

Nevertheless we could pinpoint some generic aspects that are important as a part of a good and useful process.

The first element is that we should consider the user Education issues at a early stage of the product development. The knowledge on the target users is very important for the design of the support to fulfill the consumer expectations and needs.

The second element of guidance that we could provide is on the necessity to include in the User Guidance process is to include a space for service update or late change in the offer itself in order to keep the User Education accurate.

And finally the validity of the provided user education should be assessed through specific testing.

The multiplication of the sources of support leads to a certain redundancies in the information and support provided to the users. This is at the moment not to be avoided, cause of the expectation of the majority of the users.

Include the penetration rate of Internet and PC at home in the world, see also [24]

As with any product or service, it is important for a user guide to be part of a formal process. This ensures that the UG is considered by the development team to be an important facet of the overall product development process and not an afterthought; something that gets added on at the end.

Planning Stage

Planning a user guide involves user analysis:

who will be using the guide; age, context of use what are their needs? what will they use the product for? Where will they use the product? what are the most common tasks?

User guides need documentation plans, which are internal supporting documents that specify content, audience, design, format, production team members, schedule, and other such information about a documentation project and its "deliverables." The documentation plan resembles the documentation proposal in certain ways, but the plan represents an established plan agreed upon by everybody involved in the production process (and that means both the user guide and the product it documents).

Specification and Prototypes

A specification of the UG is important which should have the agreement of all the people involved in the development process. This will include the users, tasks, environments of use of the UG. This information will feed into the development of a prototype which is essentially a version of the book containing headings of content and the intended

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)26

style. It is not important to have the specific detailed text at this stage and therefore the UG at this stage is brief. This prototype again should be formally reviewed and agreed by the development team as well as the customer.

Evaluation

It is not sufficient to for the development team to agree on the content and style of the UG. In order to assess the usability of the UG it is important to evaluate it for effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction with a sample of the intended end users. (see Chapter 13)

6.3 Illustrations

6.3.1 GeneralIllustrations are a very important part of how to show how a device functions. Some users prefer words, other understand pictures better. Some actions are easier to show graphically (e.g. how to insert the SIM card), others in words (e.g. how to explain how to send a text message). Illustrations are used to explain basic instructions (e.g. with a mobile phone how to charge, insert the SIM card, what the different buttons are used for). Very complex instructions (e.g. how to synchronize a mobile phone with a PC) can be illustrated, but not replace the text with the instruction.An attractive design will encourage more users to read the printed UG.

6.3.2 Existing recommendationsThere are some general guidelines for illustrations, to make it easier for the user to perceive, distinguish and understand:

Emphasize important actions in pictures

Be consistent in layout and way of how to explain an action

Use clear numbering to show task sequences (show all sequences, do not ignore one step because it seems clear that every one has to do this)

Use icons for information

Be consistent in thickness of the lines and the angle of parts shown

Use colour, icons, frames, arrows etc. in a consistent way – be aware of that too much of everything makes a blurry and it hard to see what is important

Be aware that if the picture is reduced for print that the details/lines shown are clear enough.

Support pictures with text when needed.

Reflect the corporate identity in illustrations (see [11-12], [17] and other ETSI TC HF on icons)

Recommendations:

R 6.3.2.a If icons are used, make sure that they are possible to use in all countries and are understood the right way. Icons should be a help for the user and not another thing they do not understand (see also: ISO/IEC Guide 74 [to References], Graphical symbols: Technical Guidelines for the considerations of consumers´ needs; ISO/IEC: The consumer and standards Guidance and principles for consumer participation in standards development [to References]).

6.4 Content management

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)27

7 Paper-based UGs (MF)

7.1 GeneralThe most traditional and expected way to explain a product is still the paper manual. But even if it is the most frequently produced kind of user education, it is probably not read very often and suffers from its bad reputation. This is a big problem, as the user gets a lot of useful information, but does not read it. As a lot of explanatory help and legal issues are published here, the producer is recommended to see how they can make their printed UGs easier to read, more attractive to the customer and understood by all.

Another problem with UGs, is the long process from sending the master to translation (many manufacturers translate their UGs to 40-50 languages) and print. It can take up to 20 weeks to produce all printed material. As the products software is frozen very late, this gives the technical communicators very little time to write the UG.Sometimes less is more. A 200 page UG would maybe cover all problems, but also intimidate the customer. It is of great importance to choose which information should be included.

There are always things that could have been explained better in a UG. This becomes very clear when the product is on the market and you realize which problems the users have with a specific feature, it is therefore recommended to collect all “lessons learnt” for new products and implement these changes there.

7.1.2 Proposed contact with publishers As the lead-times for translating and printing the manual are quite long, it is good to solve as many problems as early as possible. To contact the printer and to check their capabilities very early in the process could help.

1) Format: Discuss the paper format with the printer. The std-format is the most efficienct (A-series: A5, A6, A7). See how many pages are going to be used and decide if the UG is going to be glued or staple bound.

2) Discuss the choice of fonts with the printer. Are they capable of printing all fonts, do the fonts have language support (if the translation requires other fonts than latin characters).

3) Colour: Create a graphical profile which can be sent to the printers, including colour descriptions and layout. Discuss with the printer if the UG is going to be printed on different paper quality (the colour can change according to this) and give all printers examples of colour print in both PMS and CMYK as reference. Be aware of that the colours could differ if they are printed in Europe, Asia or the Americas (even if they have the same PMS number)

4) Environment: Please avoid metallic colours as silver and gold, just as lacquer and laminated surfaces. Colours are preferable water based.

5) Paper: Check with all printers that the paper quality is approved (opacity, whiteness, weight etc.) If a paper format is chosen which uses a maximum of the paper in the printer, the amount of scrap paper is also reduced. Choose a TCF (Total Chlorine Free) paper

 

7.2 FormatsAs mentioned in 7.1.2 it is important to choose a format that works with the printer and the own companies processes.

Apart from practical issues to choose the format, it has to be considered which format is userfriendly. A too large user guide can be intimidating, blurry and hard to find in. A too small user guide can cover too little, be hard to read if the fonts are to small. Booklets are the preferred format compared to large folded papers (Siemens internal usability survey – Martin!´/more references!! FTI).

Recommendation

R 7.2.a Chooese a format that is userfriendly.

R 7.2.b When writing a booklet, be aware of the binding of the booklet, so that all the text will still be readable.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)28

7.2.1

Recommendation

R 7.2.1.a

7.3 Formal structure

7.3.1 GeneralA formal structure of the manual makes it easier for the reader to find what he/she is looking for.

Address service specific aspects!

7.3.2 General recommendationsThese chapters are recommended to be included in a User guide:

Table of Contents

First steps to use the phone or e services

Different features

Troubleshooting

Information on where to find more information (Call centres, web pages etc)

Index

Icon glossary

Glossary

Display of the menu tree

Recommendations:

R 7.4.2.a When the templates for the lay-out are produced, it is good to have the informations structure set, which format is going to describe which kind of information. This will make a clear and comprehensive layout (as the size is limited and the formats differ, it is very easy to make a inconsistent and blurry hard-to read UG) The readability is of course a very important issue, a large font would be good in an ideal world, but as the space is limited and the number of features many it is not a realistic approach. If a smaller font is chosen (e.g. size 8-10) it is recommended to choose a typeface that has a good readability even when very small.

7.4 Consistency, logical structureIt is recommended to be consistent in not only the lay-out and language, but also in the way how to explain the device. There are mainly two ways to go, either to present the product by the menu, what is shown in the MMI, or to explain the device with the functions the user is most likely going to use (e.g. easy things first like with a mobile phone calling, sending a text message, later in the UG more complicated features like synchronizing.

As many functions need to use several menus, it can be difficult to explain these in a linear way, e.g if the user wants to send an e-mail with a mobile device this is in one menu, to be able to do this s/he must first have the right settings, which is in another menu. The technical communicators have to be aware of this and act accordingly.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)29

If the information structure is not clear, the user will not be able to find the right explanation. Many technical terms are hard to understand and the user might be mislead as s/he expects a different wording for a function (see chapter 14.1 on Terminolgogy).

There are different ways of explaining a product and the order of which features to explain can differ lot, but the first steps how to start the device, to insert the SIM-card, charge the battery and make the first call are recommended to always be in the beginning of the UG.

Many functions are very complicated today and need further explanation which might not be able to included in the paper UG. If this information is provided on a CD or on the web, the user has to be clearly informed where to find which information.

The technical communicators work in very technical world, with high demands from their colleagues on technological jargon and specifications. This is very far from the reality the user is in and has always to be considered. It is therefore recommended to have regular validations and usability studies of the user information (see chapter ????), to keep a good contact with users and be reminded of the information needs of an average non-tecnically specialiced person.

Recommendations:

7.5.a Be aware of the information structure before writing user information.

7.5.b Always use ToC and index with clear wording, easy to find and accurate references where to find the information referred to (e.g. in paper UG use page numbers, thumbnails, clear headings).

7.5 Main and secondary guides The user should always get some accessible information with the new product. The user guidance does not have to be complete in one single guide, but can be covered in several. As some users tend to throw the large paper UG away, a shorter quick guide has been much appreciated. In this quick guide the user will get help to start the product, and the main functions explained in an attractive easy-to-read way.

If the printed UG is not sufficient enough, a larger, supplementary guide could be provided on the web. This could be a complete extended version or just specific chapters on special functionality. Functions that are added late, just before launch, could be fully explained on the web (see clause 8). The quick guide should give the user the first step guidance how to start the device. It can also contain the special features a specific product is marketed for. The basic feature (calling) is recommended to be explained. For those who consider a mobile phone a complicated product, the quick guide should cover the basic information on how to turn on/off the mobile phone and make a call.

The information should be easy to understand, clear in its lay-out and language.

Recommendations:

7.6.a Information can be given in several guides (eg. one UG, one Quick guide, one on web) – always make sure to provide where further information can be found.

7.6.b If a shorter guide is provided with the device, additional information can be provided on the web (see clause 7.7 on legal requests)

7.6 Legal and regulatory requirements (safety and security)

7.6.1 GeneralThe paper manual is still where most of the legal information has to be published, as the producer can not assume that the customer has access to a PC.

7.6.2 Existing recommendationsThe legal texts have to include:

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)30

Warranty statements

Declaration of Conformity

All safety instructions warnings etc (and NOT only key ones as they will otherwise not be considered to have been given all)

All mandatory legal information to be provided with the phone (and not just the key ones)

End user license

SAR (Specific Absobation Rates)

The UG itself should also include:

Instruction how to use the phone – including a minimum of instructions as how to use all features. In particular on which the company communicates e.g. in commercials for respective model.

There are also a number of environmental regulations, restrictions and recommendations (e.g. for printing, material) which are to be followed. These can differentiate between countries.

Some countries have regulations on that the user guide (and spec. terminology) has to be published in the country´s language.

Recommendations:

7.7.2.a All information and instruction material should be checked and revised by legal specialists.

7.7.2.b Legal information should be created in a user-friendly way and easy to find for the user.

7.7.2.c Legal information must be provided with the product itself.

8 UG in the device/SID (Support In the Device) (MF)

8.1 Help textsAs the display of mobile devices grow larger and have better screens with higher resolutions, it is possible to give the user some instructions in the device. The advantage of good help in the mobile device is that the user will always have access to them wherever they are –far away from home where the paper manual is or to connect to the web.

You can divide the help texts between:

Help text – which gives the user instructions and explanations how to do something.

Feedback texts – tells the user if the action has been done (e.g. Message sent)

Error texts – if the user has not succeeded with an action, he/she will be informed that the action has not been done because something went wrong (wrong settings).

Failure texts – tells the user that a action could not be done (e.g. message could not be sent due to network, try again later)

Pop-up help, like the word paper-clip

Icon glossary

The help texts can be shorter descriptions or longer actions that describe how you should do something (shown in the display, sometimes the user has to scroll down to see the whole text).

As 3G is becoming a standard, multitasking will be possible. The user can read about what to do at the same time as he/she will perform the action.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)31

In the beginning the help text can pop up directly (push), the more used the user gets to the product, it is recommended that the user can turn these help texts off. The help texts can be stored in the phone, on a memory card or provided to the user via WAP.

It is important that the help is context sensitive, so that the user will get help right where there are and do not have to find their way to the help several clicks away.

Just as with all other parts of user guidance, consistency in lay-out and terminology is crucial, especially as the space for explanations is very limited. It is recommended to be consistent in terminology and not only within one company, but also as an industrial standard. E.g. for the user it is very hard to understand that “My friends” is the same thing as “Instant messaging”. It is also recommended that the same terminology would be used in customized products, regardless producer. Terminology considering general descriptions, such as operator/service provider, should be the same for all.

As some of our users have disabilities, the help texts should be possible to retrieve as text, voice and be printable. Then visually-, hearing- and cognitive-impaired users as well as lower-literacy users could have the same possibilities as other users to solve their problems and get ad hoc help wherever they are.

Recommendations:

8.1.a The application should act as a user friendly “good to know” and “nice to have” information source on how to use the phone more effectively

8.1.b The application should be accessible to the end-user also after having seen it the first time.

8.1.c It should be possible to cancel the application at all times.

8.1.d It should be obvious when the application ends.

8.1.e The application should not be composed of too many steps.

8.1.f The focus on what is going to be demonstated should be on usefulness and on needs of customer support (most frequent usage problems).

8.2 DemonstrationsSome actions can be shown to the user as a demonstration – a sequence of action, e.g. how to set the language and time. To show the user how it should look in the display when an action is conducted has a very pedagogic impact. The user can follow exactly how to do something, instead of reading about an action and then carry it out.

The user can choose to learn more about the product whenever they want (while waiting etc.)

Today many producers offer their users set-up procedures. See HF DEG 202 416 on set-up procedures.

8.3 Interactive tutorials, assistants, avatarsAn on-line tutorial is a computer-assisted instruction technique; it is interactive, user-controlled and typically multimodal. The new information is introduced on a step-by-step basis.The user can also get information with avatars (like the paper-clip in Word). It has been noted that most mature users are quite irritated about this function, but basic and novice users appreciate this kind of help. It is therefore recommended that this application should be possible to turn of easily.

Martin: to send images of avatars (Wobble and Max)

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)32

8.4 Audio guides (see above)Visually-impared, cognitive-impaired and low-literacy users have a need for getting the information presented in another way than in texts on the display. It is recommended to deliver these texts in ausdiofiles as well, so all customers can access the information in either ways.

8.5 Links to online guidanceAs most users will have access to the net via mobile access, it is now possible to have large amounts of information there, ready for the user to download. A problem is though, that the user hardly will like to pay for getting/download

9 Web-based UGs (MT)The principles of writing text apply to the web just as much as paper therefore much of the guidance which was given in section 6 will apply here. However, there are differences which means that the paper based version of a user guide should never be translated to the screen. The screen is a different medium from paper and has limitations. On the other hand, screen also offers opportunities to present information in a novel way. It is modifiable for different users and can be updated easily.

9.1 Adavantages and disadvantages of Web based informationIn the enlarged European Union (EU25), only 47% of the individuals aged from 16 to 74 years used the Internet (as measured during the first quarter of 2004). More men used the internet than women, and more young people than old, according to Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, see [24]. In addition, the number of broadband access lines deployed across the EU rose by over 72% in the year to mid-2004, to 29.6 million, when the share of the EU population actually using broadband services was 6.5% (7.6% in the pre-accession EU 15 Member States). Broadband take-up is growing so fast that the latest data, compiled since the Communication was finalised, suggests that 8.8% of the EU population now has a fixed broadband connection [25].

One of the more important differences between reading on screen and reading on paper is that readers scan rather than read text. Jakob Nielsen (1997), found that 79% of participants in a study scanned a Web page, against 16% who read the entire text. There are a number of differences between screen and paper reading which may account for this difference in reading style and efficiency. These include:

Distance between the reading material and the reader

Angle of the reading material

Resolution

Inter-line spacing

Inter-character spacing

Justification

Intermittent vs. continuous light

Emissive vs. reflected light

Interference from reflections (Daniel and Reinking 1987 [Ref])

Posture of the reader

Aspect ratio

These differences bring about some advantages and disadvantages for each medium.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)33

9.1.1 Advantages of the screen Content can be updated in real time

Text can be read in the dark

Text can be searched for easily

Text can be varied in size for the partially sighted

The reader can be automatically led through text.

The screen can be interactive.

As well as the points above, the interenet can be modified in many different ways for people with disabilities. For these people, the internet, through work on the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), a number of different features have been offered as guidelines. These include guidelines for people with physical, visual, hearing, and cognitive or neurological disabilities. For example, for an elderly person with hand tremor and visual impairment large icons can be provided to help them see and select options on the screen. In many ways this is superior to help on a mobile device which is limited by the size of the interface.

9.1.2 Disadvantages of the screen Everyone can use a book

Computers are not always available for use

Computers are normally in a fixed location

Prolonged reading can produce eye strain

Readers scan information rather than read in a linear fashion as they do with paper text.

9.2 Writing for the screenOne of the first things that has to be said about web based guidance is that novel features (graphics, interactivity, colours etc) should not be used just because they can. All aspects of the information, content and style should be there to help the user understand and not be there for entertainment. Using novel features in this way can detract from the information by making it too busy and cluttered. Therefore, simplicity is the key to providing clear, useful information, just as this is the case for paper.

However, there are features which can help the user when information is presented online. For example, when selecting an item from a list (such as contents) the user can then be taken straight to the section pertaining to that item. With paper the user is given a reference which they then have to find in a manual. In addition, interactive graphics can be used to great effect on the screen where a procedure can be illustrated much better than using words. The use of variable text size can also help those with special needs. On the other hand, the opportunity is there to use all available features, such as all colours, animation, sound etc. just because they are there, but this usually has disastrous consequences. So the answer then is always to consider your users needs when considering the use of available features.

9.3 Organising the screenAs stated earlier, readers tend to scan rather than read text. In addition, a full screen full of text is much more cluttered and overwhelming for the reader than a page full of text. Therefore, proper design is even more important when putting a user guide on the web. In order to overcome some of these issues it is important to use the main components of the web page: text, space, and graphics, in a useful way.

9.2.1 TextTransferring the paper based guide to the screen can cause problems with text that is too small so it is important to choose a font that is readable on screen. However, this can sometimes be difficult to control on user’s computers who

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)34

may not have the font specified. But, it is possible to use a set of fonts that will determine, on a priority basis, which font to use for display. For example here are font families that are suitable for text on the web:

The Sans-serif familyArial, Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif

The Serif family

Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif

The Monospace familyCourier New, Courier, monospace

9.2.2 Space As stated earlier, too much text on the screen is a disincentive to read. Whereas space adds to the organization of text. Therefore, breaking the text up into chunks with lots of white space not only aids readability but looks more attractive and doesn’t put the reader off. The use of scrolling should be avoided where possible. Information should be presented in chunks which represent a single concept, piece of advice, or procedure, and all visible within the window. For a user guide this is particularly relevant as you want to provide the user with clear information on a specific topic.

The inclusion of margins in the text is a way of providing space but also provides an area where links to other relevant information can be found, thereby aiding navigation. This is especially important as users don’t perceive a series of web pages in the same way they do a book. With a book a reader will have a broad overall geography of the text, beginning middle and end. This is not the case with the web which does not have the same physical representation. Therefore, links to the previous, next, and home pages should always be available.

9.2.3 Graphics

Pictures should be provide where they help the user to understand the information the author is trying to get across. Images of the device and the functions the user is trying to understand can be used on screen. They can also be animated to show the user specific procedures or features of a product in use. Images like this can often work better than text, but usually work best when provided with text.

In the absence of images, text can use colour and highlighting to emphasise words or phrases. For example, headings maybe in a different colour to the body of the text. Specific colours should also be used for links with a consistent colour being used throughout. But it is important not to use too many colours.

9.3 Keeping updated The advantage of the interenet is that it can be updated regularly. Often when a product is launched, all of the problems associated with it are not known and only come to light with extensive useage in the market. This information can be uploaded to the relevant user guide web page where up to date information on problems can be presented. Paper based guides would require a reprint and redistribution.

9.4 Text-based, tutorials, try-me’sThe internet can also offer interactivity. It is not often used like this due to bandwidth restrictions so the internet is generally a more text-based medium compared to paper or CD (see section 9 below). However, simple black and white drawings or animations can be used to illustrate certain features or solutions to problems.

Martin: to send screen-shot of try me

10 User guides on CD-ROM (MT)There are many similarities between web-based information and that on the CD. They are both viewed on the screen and therefore the limitations of reading from screen still apply and many of the guidelines given in section 8 are

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)35

appropriate. However, there are a number of differences which will have an impact on how, and what kind of, information is presented on CD. These are now outlined.

10.1 Adavantages of CD-based informationThe main differences between using CDs and the internet relate to bandwidth, connectivity, and their ability to be modified.

In terms of bandwidth, the CD is a medium which allows for more realtime interaction. That is, web-based material is subject to variability of speed of download, even with the best broadband connection speeds, and has therefore become more text-based than graphical or animated. Because CD’s are used locally with a PC they have developed into a medium where graphics are highly used together with animation and this is often something that can help in user guidance where the user is shown an example of what to do rather than having to read text. Even the best instructions are avoided by most users who often turn to a person for guidance rather than a user guide. It is with the CD therefore that the designer should take advantage of the ability to show graphics and animation wherever appropriate. But remember this should only be done if it aids understanding in the user.

One of the main limitations for CDs which must be highlighted here is in relation to people with disabilities. As stated in section 8.1, the internet can be designed with a number of different features for people with physical, visual, hearing, and cognitive or neurological disabilities. This is not the case with CDs which are relatively more difficult to modify for people with special needs, unless alternative option are built into the CD at the time of making . This lack of ability to modify CDs also limits their ability to be updated with new information on guidance. To counter their static nature, CDs can contain web links to updates on user guidance as well as other information. This gives them some degree of flexibility. However, care must be taken as weblinks often disappear.

Another issue with CDs is the need to physically distribute. This can be slow and costly. In addition, is the main reason why it is difficult to update CD based guidance which would mean re-burning and redistributing the CD.

11 Audio UGs (MB)

11.1 On CD or on the web or in the devices

11.2 DfA (see below) or to be used in the car / on the train

12 Other ways of providing information (MB)

12.1 User groups and forums

13 User education and design for all (MB+BvN)DfA benefits all users, not only the handicapped.

13.1 User education for elderly usersIntroduce change of abilities, vision to reading and motoric skills, STM, info provisioning about availability to product comparison criteria, setup, configuration, multimodal information, etc.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)36

13.2 User education for visually-impaired users Provide background, difficulties, options, references

13.3 User education for hearing-impaired users Provide background, difficulties, options, references

13.4 User education for users with cognitive impairmentsProvide background, difficulties, options, references

13.5 User education for users with communication impairmentsProvide background, difficulties, options, references

13.6 User education for childrenProvide background, difficulties, options, references

Speech and language impairments, literacy

14 Evaluation of user education

14.1 Background

14.1.1 GeneralThe aim of any usability evaluation activity is to ensure a minimum or previously defined level of usability of a product or service. Usability evaluation methods include expert walk throughs, focus groups, experiments, field observation, heuristic evaluation, input logging, logging of issues raised in customer care centres, surveys, interviews, and performance measures. The most important and most frequently used usability evaluation method is the usability test. For usability testing, a distinction is being made between formative and summative usability testing.

Formative usability testing supports the development of the design itself. The tests have the general objectives of obtaining evaluations and feedback on the usability of the overall product or individual features and to spot “usability bugs”. A summative approach is used at a later stage in product development to measure the usability of the product or of individual features against an a-prioriy set criterion (e.g. 80% of uses who have never used the product before successfully perform a number of defined tasks).

In product development, formative usability is more important as it helps identifying usability problems that can still be solved provided the tests are conducted at an early enough stage. To conduct formative usability testing is common practise in industry as few companies run the risk of learning about usability bugs in their products only after market introduction. A comprehensive overview of usability evaluation methods for the design of telecommunications systems, services and terminals is given in [28].

The systematic testing of the usability of user guides not very common. The necessity of testing user guides arises from the aim of providing the users with everything they need in order to be able to have a successful interaction and consequently a positive user experience with the product. At the same time, pressures for cost savings raise the question of what is the minimum amount of user education that has to be provided in order to meet this aim.

Questions like the following ones can only be answered through usability evaluation:

Is the information provided appropriate for (novice) users to successfully set up the device or service for first-time use?

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)37

Can (novice) users locate, understand and implement relevant instructions for a problem they encounter using the device or service in the post-purchase or ownership phase of the product life cycle?

Is the information provide too redundant, is there room for reduction or are the instructions already described in too condensed a format?

Are basic concepts (e.g. the use of softkeys) already known to a large section of the target population so that they don’t need to be explained (or only in secondary sources)?

In other words, usability testing with the focus on the user guide looks at how the user guide is being used, whether it delivers the required information, whether it is structurally adequate and delivers the right amount of information in a comprehensible language, i.e. whether it is usable by the (target) user population.

There are established ways of conducting usability tests of products. Suitable methods for usability testing user guides deviate from those in few but important ways which are addressed below.

14.1.2 Usability and accessibility of user guidanceThe most widely recognised definition of usability is based on ISO 9241 [29], where usability is defined as “the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use”. The three components of usability are defined as follows:

effectiveness: The accuracy and completeness with which users achieve specified goals. efficiency: The resources expended in relation to the accuracy and completeness with which users achieve

goals. satisfaction: The comfort and acceptability of use.

In usability testing, these are operationalised to measure (a) whether the user was successful at all in completing a specific goal (effectiveness), (b) the resources (often measured in time or attempts) required for task completion (efficiency), and the comfort and acceptability of the experience for the user and other people affected by the use (satisfaction). For the usability testing of user guides, these measures have to be operationalised in order to cover the usability of the user guide as opposed to the device or service itself. In practice, the user guide will always be evaluated in conjuction with the related product or service as the isolated test of the user guide alone is little meaningful.

A very important additional aspect of usability testing user guides is the assessment of accessibility aspects. Accessibility has to be considered at various stages of the test design, in particular in the coice of test tasks, questionnaire design and subject sample selection.

The main question to be answered in the test is whether the user guides provide the right information to enable the test subjects to perform the test tasks. The test method is an operationalisation of all factors relevant for this question.

14.2 Method

14.2.1 Generalto be done: Overview of method, references

General logic: test tasks, observations, questionnaires, analysis, reporting

UT of device:

- test w/o manual

- test with optional manual

UT of UG

- test with manual and reading

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)38

14.2.2 Test tasksto be done: test tasks

tasks on what is in focus

- new style, format, shortened version…

- new functionalities

14.2.3 Materialsto be done:

questionnaires,

observation leaflets

AV technologies

instructions,

UG

Device

14.2.4 Sampledetails on criteria for sample size and selection

DfA aspects

14.2.5 Analysis and reportingCommon industry format for usability test reports

14.2.6 Conclusion

15 Other issues

15.1Terminology (MF)Having a good terminology work is an important part of writing good UGs. The devices are new technology and the words to describe new features are still not of every day use and often still to be invented. To make our UGs as easy and comprehensible as possible the terminology has to follow certain guidelines. Consistency can be perceived if the company builds a terminology database for source and target languages, as well as they provide Technical communicators and translators with their written Style guides.

It is recommended to use the terminology that is already used as an industry standard (as long as they already exist). The terminology should be the same in marketing, UGs, packaging and User interface (and in all following products). It is recommended to use consistent terminology (e.g. do not write push/pull/press if the same action is meant)

The new terminology should be user-friendly.

User-friendly is when the term is:

Invisible (the user does not have to recognize it as a new technical term) Intuitive (if the word is new, the word can be easy to guess, e.g. Push-to-talk is intuitive understandable, WAP

has to be explained) Logical in its context/device menu(e.g. small – medium-large, not small-medium-big)

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)39

Easy to understand (neutral and plain, do not search for fancy words that complicate the understanding) Avoid jargon or abbreviations

It is recommended that the different manufacturers would standardize new terminology, instead of inventing own separate “languages”.

15.2 Handling operator specific needs in user guidance (MB)

15.3 Special issues for guidance on e-services (BvN)This clause will cover issues such as service agreements, service offering, configuration, activation, security, pass codes, first use, last use and migration to the next terminal, et cetera.

15.4 What is the current research on user guides? What can we learn from there? (All)

15.5 The future of user education (PP)Note PP: From the Nokia internal study: Caution this is not covering e-services!!!

Could be used in other chapters as well

In individual consideration of the instruction types, the instruction booklet is given by far the most positive rating for appeal, importance and likelihood to use, followed by the quick guide and at some distance by integrated help

The comparatively low relevance of electronic formats becomes clearer in the ranking of all possible instruction types

The ranking is similar across all countries

Irrespective of experience with electronic formats and Internet access the instruction booklet gets highest consideration

There are target-group specific minor differences in rankings

Paper documentation: Greater importance for phone owners with increasing age

Electronic documentation: Slightly better evaluated by younger

Integrated help and quick guide: Greater importance for women

CD-ROM: Slightly better ranking with men and with those who owned mobile phones before

No differences regarding type of phone and make owned

Due to a "more is better" attitude, the current, versatile offer (instruction booklet, quick guide, CD-ROM, website) is preferred over the reduced alternative offers (short version of instruction booklet plus website respectively CD-ROM)

…

Today's markets would not accept any significant reduction in paper documentation vs.

No? I think the market would welcome a better, thinner user guide (MF)

The variety of documentation currently provided should thus not be changed fundamentally – despite duplication

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)40

Over time, in the midterm, the full instruction booklet might be dropped if

lack of internet access and/or CD-ROM drives becomes less of an obstacle in certain regions

consumers become more willing to change current documentation usage patterns

Nokia offers

a short(er) booklet (acceptable format, look and content to be explored) and

HTML/PDF on the website (and/or PDF on CD-ROM)

Especially if no instruction booklet were available (MF: must be, of legal reasons!), PDF would seem essential in order to be able to print out information

If PC Suite is provided on CD-ROM, a PDF instruction file should be included on the same CD-ROM

The advantages and disadvantages of HTML (over PDF) and whether or not this format should be retained is unclear; this should be further investigated in the qualitative phase

Although a very interesting tool, it seems that the integrated help function would not be accepted as a substitute for the documentation currently available (but this should be further investigated in the qualitative phase)

As the online tutorial is currently used only by a minority a stronger promotion of it should be considered; advantages and potential usability of the online tutorial should be further explored in the qualitative phase, too

And finally: Touch and feel of possible future media and formats and how they might work should also be further investigated in the qualitative phase

Annex A (normative):Collective table of all guidelines (BvN)

A.1 Collective table of all guidelinesIn table A.1, all recommendations presented in previous clauses of the present document are collected and listed.

No new requirements are introduced. The recommendations carry an indication about their application area and the clause they can be found in the present document.

The recommendations in table A.1 should be regarded as a minimum, common, basic set of recommendations. They will improve the user experience of setup procedures, if considered and supported in designs, specifications and implementations.

Intended users of the recommendations listed in table A.1 are the user experience and interaction design professionals, developers of mobile terminals, e-services and applications, mobile network and system providers, terminal approvers and standard writers and developers.

Table A.1: Collection of all recommendations

Guideline number

Guideline area andguideline

Chapter; TitleSub-chapter 1

Guideline # GuidelineSub-chapter 2

Guideline # GuidelineGuideline # Guideline

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)41

A.2 Guideline examples- just for nowReasoning, why, what issues and problems.

G A.2.a Provide all user information in the user's first or preferred language.

A.2.1 Terminal-specific guidelines“Guideline” or “Recommendation”? Depends also on the format of the document.

A.2.1.1 Example guidelinesReasoning, why, what issues and problems.

Guidelines:

G A.2.1.1a A user guides should always be provided, as a printed matter.

G A.2.1.1.b In addition, user guides can be provided through any other media, usable and understandable by the intended users.

A.3 Terminology- just for nowTerminology for iternal consistency:

User education = User guidance

User guide: paper-based user guide, web-based user guide

User support: call centre support, faq on the web

Technical communicators: Technical writers

(No trouble found, no fault found) tbd

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)42

Annex B (informative):If any (All)If any…

Use the Heading 8 style for the title and the Normal style for the text.

B.1 First clause of the annex

B.1.1 First subdivided clause of the annex<PAGE BREAK>

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)43

Annex N (informative):Bibliography (BvN)If any…otherwise, will be deleted.

The annex entitled "Bibliography" is optional.

Use the Heading 8 style for the title and B1+ or Normal for the text.

<Publication>: "<Title>".

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)44

Temporary annex: Previously done in EG 202 132 (All)This will be removed later.

7.4 User guides and reference documentation

7.4.1 GeneralEnd users often fail to make use of the full potential and benefits of mobile telecommunications terminals, applications and e-services because of the growing complexity of terminal and service features. While in a perfect world, communication concepts and user interfaces are fully self-explanatory to both novice and expert users, reality shows that users have to rely on instructions such as user guides. In the absence of minimum standard requirements, manufacturers tend to invest less and less in good user documentation. In many cases, detailed instructions are only provided on-line, via the Internet or on CD-ROMs. With very few exceptions, user guides leave out people with sensory or cognitive impairments and are hardly ever suited for young or elderly users, either.

A lower uptake of interactive e-services caused by users not coping with the complexity of terminals and e-services also has economic consequences and presents a burden to the creation of a European knowledge-based society.

There is a need for clear guidelines on how user instructions ought to be provided, taking into account the requirements of different user groups and the possibilities offered by different media.

7.4.2 Proposed generic approach to user-guide creationThe objective of the proposed work is to ensure minimum standards in user guidance for mobile terminals and e-services, and thereby to remove one of the barriers to the uptake of mobile e-services.

The aim is to provide manufacturers with guidance on minimum standards for user education. This should ensure that users will receive user instructions that are appropriate to their:

needs, level of expertise and cognitive abilities;

perceptual abilities and preferences (e.g. large-print and auditory versions of user guides);

mental models and logical structures in a way that offers good navigation throughout the guide.

In addition, a common platform for user instruction and guidance documents could be provided to enable third-party manufacturers to develop tools for generating special variants of a user guide for specific requirements (e.g. extracting the script of a text-based user guide for spoken documentation).

The proposed work should be based on the "TCeurope SecureDOC Guidelines on usable and safe operating manuals for consumer goods" [Error: Reference source not found].

It should include, but not be limited to, the following issues:

presenting information about unpacking, installation, set up, usage, maintenance, and disposal of the product;

formal aspects of the documentation (e.g. table of contents, subject index, structure, cross references);

minimum standards on typeface, line heights and borders as well as other editorial aspects;

formal methods of assuring quality (e.g. quality checklists);

empirical methods of assuring quality (e.g. usability tests and focus groups);

guidelines on how to present the information in alternative media (including the tagging of references for audio presentation.

Recommendations:

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)45

R 7.4.2.a: It is recommended to develop guidelines and a common platform on how user instructions, applicable to the use of mobile terminals and e-services, ought to be provided, taking into account the requirements of different user groups and the possibilities offered by different media.

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)46

HistoryAnother Office 2003 macro corruption mess- will have to be reinserted!

ETSI

ETSI DEG 202 417 V 0.0.15 (2005-06-20)47