tekom-Jahrestagung 2012 - ActiveDoc

User Assistance
reach, something I denote, the secondary goals. A number of secondary
goals, for example install, configure and use, must be reached to solve a
primary goal.
Now, when users see or interact with the user interface of a particular
product, the product schema is invoked and “filled in” as the user constructs
a mental model about the current product. The mental model
tells the user a lot of things, for example what specific primary goals the
current product can solve and what specific tasks must be done to solve
specific secondary goals. Users try to employ a strategy from the mental
model on how to interact with the product to reach both the primary
and secondary goals.
Users are active and goal oriented when trying to solve a need
Users are focused on doing real tasks to reach real goals. The product
interaction starts out from wanting to reach a secondary goal.
How confident the user is about the mental model probably affects the
behavior since users are “energy calculative” and try to find the path of
least effort. If a user is uncertain about the mental model and how to
do a task, the user would probably not start to try the product since the
consequence could be a waste of a lot of energy before the goal is finally
reached. Then it is better to first get a confirmation on the strategy,
by finding additional knowledge about how to do. If the user is certain
about the mental model and strategy, then the most energy saving behavior
is to start to follow it since putting effort on doing something else,
like reading about a task, is a waste of energy.
When do users experience a problem and what do they do?
Users end up in a problem situation for a number of reasons. A user
can perceive the mental model to be clear or vague and the user can be
certain or uncertain about the mental model. But the perceived model
can also be more or less in accordance with the product design. A user
can for example be certain and perceive to have a correct mental model,
were it is incorrect. When such a user is trying to do a task the outcome
is probably a failure because the user is not following any of the possible
paths required to use the product successfully. The user gives up
when all possible problem solving solutions are tried and decides to find
external help.
The user senses a gap in knowledge which leads to an information
need. Users start to search for information to bridge the gap. The user is
located in a search situation. Users formulate a third goal strategy which
is to find information to resolve the problematic situation. Users form a
“mental question” that is related to the secondary goal and in turn the
primary goal. Users display an information seeking behavior.
How does a user find help? Who can answer?
There are in practice two parties that can answer user questions: other
users and the community of individuals that represents the manufacturer.
Users often turn to other users, like colleagues, friends etc. Another
user is anyone who is perceived to have the answer. Social media has a
huge impact since now the whole world of users is reachable.
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tekom-Jahrestagung 2012