Why I Wrote, Designed, and Developed This Help System
I needed to enable users to easily find, understand, and act upon instructions and reference material when working with the Google Keep desktop web app.
How I Wrote This Help System
I wrote how-to guides and background information for working with Google Keep:
I divided each topic into its own webpage to simplify and streamline information delivery.
I chunked content with headings, lists, and note boxes so users can quickly locate and absorb the information they need.
I established a consistent structure for each topic:
Headings identify each topic and subsection.
Numbered lists highlight instructions.
Each list item contains only one step.
Supplementary information appears separate from the listed steps.
I directly addressed users to appeal to them personally.
How I Designed and Developed This Help System
I compiled and structured my content with MadCap Flare to produce an HTML5 help system:
I structured the table of contents to establish a logically organized and searchable help system.
I marked up all written content to semantically structure each help topic.
I configured style sheets to establish visually coherent and tidy help topics.
I hand-coded CSS and JavaScript to solve any design problems that were unsolvable in MadCap Flare.