I usually leave talk about user interface design and usability to Aaron — it’s a passion of his, and he’s more knowledgeable and clued-in on the subject than I am. But while browsing InformIT.com today, I was drawn to this article. It’s actually an excerpt from a book that makes the case for good usability and UI design.

What struck me was that the author included documentation as a necessary part of usability and interface design. Here are a couple of excerpts:

The product help must be both easily accessible and effective in resolving the user’s problem quickly.

and

[Usability analysis] lets you understand how your users react to your user interface so you learn what’s wrong and what’s right in your user interface design, as well as any other peripheral materials that ship with your product, such as the documentation.

It’s really reminiscent of a chapter in the book Defensive Design for the Web by 37 Signals, which presents good and bad examples of help integrated into Web sites. The message is simple: technical communicators need to get involved not only in the design and usability of an interface, but also how users will access documentation from within the interface.

What are your experiences in this area? Leave a comment.

Related posts:

1. Usability: as important as the product
2. November 14 – World Usability Day
3. Usability and taking chances