Help System¶
The help system should be used as a secondary mechanism to support users’ complete and better understanding of tasks — the primary mechanism should be the user interface itself. Users consult the help system only if they cannot accomplish a task with the UI.
When to Use¶
Try to make Help unnecessary in the first place:
Make common tasks easy to discover and perform.
Provide clear main instructions as well as concise control labels that are goal- and task-oriented.
Provide supplemental instructions and explanations where needed.
Avoid problems by using controls constrained to valid choices, providing suitable default values, handling all input formats, and preventing errors.
Write error messages that provide a clear solution or action for the user to take.
How to Use¶
Usually, the help system is activated by F1 respectively Ctrl+F1 for context sensitive information and via menu.