Designing User Assistance for the Gadget

Most gadgets for Windows SideShow are simple and intuitive, so they do not require user assistance content, such as FAQs or troubleshooting procedures. However, more complicated gadgets usually require more assistance information.

Publish Assistance Content in a Discoverable Place

It’s not easy to predict where users expect to find assistance content for a gadget. Depending on the gadget and the device that it appears on, users may look for assistance online, on the computer, or on the device.

• Windows Live Gallery

  Windows Live Gallery is a good place to publish assistance content for system requirements or for installation and setup procedures—information that users likely need before and immediately after they download the gadget.

  When you submit a gadget to Windows Live Gallery, be sure to provide system requirements, details, and a description. If you provide assistance content for the gadget on your own website, we recommend that you include the web address for your site in the details or in the description section.

• On the computer

  Consider installing assistance content on the computer during the installation of the gadget if users will need assistance occasionally, or if users are likely to add the gadget to a device that is not conducive to reading content.

  On the gadget’s settings page, provide a link to the installed assistance content, such as a readme file or a compiled HTML Help (.chm) file. Or, consider placing some basic assistance content on the settings page itself. This example does both.

• On the device

  If users will need assistance with the gadget frequently or while viewing the gadget on a device, consider providing assistance content on the device, within the gadget’s content. You can place a “Help” or similarly labeled menu item on the first menu page of the gadget’s content. The Help menu item can point to any number of additional menu pages of assistance content, or to just a single page.

  For help with creating a settings page, see the Windows SideShow Development Forum.

Assume the Gadget Will Appear on a Variety of Devices

Unless you can predict which devices the gadget will appear on, write the assistance content so that it does not refer to buttons or controls on a device. For example, when describing how to navigate through content provided by the gadget, describe how the content is organized into menus and pages instead of describing which buttons to press in order to view the content.

Monitor the Windows SideShow Discussion Group

The Windows SideShow Discussion Group provides a place where users can post questions about gadgets, devices, and Windows SideShow in general. Consider monitoring this discussion group for user questions about your gadgets.