Guidelines for writing HTML help

The paper provides guidelines for writing HTML help content for end users of Apple hardware and software products. The guidelines were developed by the editors in Apple Computer's Instructional Products (IP) group to respond to the problems that arose as documentation shifted from print books to HTML help. Initially, writers struggled to "retrofit" their print content for the onscreen environment. However, the differences in how users interact with print and onscreen help demanded not just a small revision, but a major rethinking of the instructional content. Looking to minimalist principles for guidance, we created these guidelines to help writers develop content that supported the goal of Apple's HTML help: to help users get tasks done without slowing them down or getting in their way.