This online help was created in Paligo and the content was also used for PDF outputs. It explains how to use the Adaptable Blotter financial software.
User research
This was a new product, so there wasn’t really much information from customers available. I met with the Adaptable Blotter creator for a few hours and he guided me through the various features of the product. During that meeting, I was able to ask about his expected customers and the few people that had used the product so far.
From there, I based the information architecture on what tasks the users can complete when they use the software. I also added some screen overviews, to introduce users to the different types of user interface.
Challenges
This was actually quite a trouble-free project. The main issue was not having much in the way of user research, but that didn’t matter too much - I just focused on providing task-based content.
Adaptable Blotter were quick in getting back to me with answers to my questions and took an interest in how I was applying variables and reusable content. The plan was that I would create the first version of the documentation in Paligo and then they would take-over from there, updating it themselves when needed.
Result
A nice-looking help centre that met the client’s needs and gave them a task-based help centre. They were happy with the end result and the handover went smoothly. There were a few Paligo concepts I had to explain, but they picked those up quickly as they had similar concepts in their code.
