Writing Instructions

[mick]

I am secretary to a couple of online photo circles. Part of my duty is to welcome and 'train' new members.  I'm constantly writing and rewriting instructions.

My experience with getting my spellchecker to work has highlighted an issue. My screen almost never looks like the screenshot that's being shown to me as a help! A simple example. Almost all the instructions dealing with spellchecking tell me to right-click in a text box and choose "language".  I have never seen language or anything like it pop up when I right-click.

I have to believe that my members are having the same trouble.  I'm showing them my screen and theirs is different. 

How do the 'pros'  get around that problem?

Mick

[eightbittony]

There's no easy solution, given people can be using different versions of Windows, MacOS, browsers, etc.

If you watch any YouTube tutorials for example, with Lightroom, the presenters are constantly saying 'on a Windows PC it's this key combination, on a Mac it's this key combination', but even then, there'll be people using other versions where it's just not true.

This is further complicated with browsers, because people install plugins, and then forget, and get used to how their browser works without even remembering it's not the same as other people. I have a few container style plugins, which mean when I'm on Facebook it won't look like anything anyone else is using.

The best approach is to make sure you're using an standard, fresh install and build of everything, and that if you have installed anything else you know the visual impact of it, and then make everyone aware their stuff might be different if they've configured things differently. Lastly, as I'm sure you're aware, explaining why you do something, the general purpose, and where the options would generally be, rather than specific step by step instructions, can be super helpful (in combination with step by step's).

[MJB]

The hardest part is getting people to tell you what operating system they're using, which browser (including which version), etc. when they ask for help. It's difficult to help if you can't replicate what that person is experiencing.

[mick]

Thanks. That's helpful.

Some of the folk that come my way are impossible. I run 'my' circles using DropBox and earlier in the year I lost a new member because, however hard I tried, I couldn't teach him to get into DropBox.

Mick