Summary of Documentation Suggestions

Wow, you all had a lot to say about documentation. Thanks for all the input. I’m going to get grilled by a panel of SW managers responsible for various aspects of documentation this afternoon. I’ll report back on how that goes.

Anyway, here is a list of what you asked for and how often:

1 Storage space concerns\n1 online storage is good

2 “explain “”how”” SolidWorks works”

3 “talk about limitations, and stuff you can’t do”

2 troublehooting and examples

4 search that prioritizes better

2 F1 key for context sensitive help\n5 realistic examples

5 “explain “”why”” you would use an option”

2 standardize terminology

5 index needs to be complete\nevery option should have an explanation\n6 browser based/xml

3 API help needs attention\nadd-ins\n5 wiki\non-line tutorials\nmore illustrations and avis

Anything without a number was voted for once. There are a couple of things that confuse me. I personally don’t see the benefit in using an html based help. Didn’t SolidWorks go through that stage already? I think the compiled help is better because it is a single file rather than a collection of files, and then there is the browser compatibility problem which SW doesn’t seem to be able to work through. Also, I’m not too worried about storage space, and would prefer to store things locally than over a network or internet connection. Information is priceless.

To me, the most important problems are:

– completeness – cover every option

– well indexed using standardized terminology

– explain how/why stuff works or doesn’t work

– talk about limitations

– more visuals (screen shots / avis) that include the interface

– always use examples, and possibly include models

– all documentation should be indexed together regardless of format (help, add-ins, tutorials, etc.)

– the Wiki could be a brilliant thing, but it needs to be created by people who know – there is so much misinformation out there

Thank you all for your input.