Designing easy-to-use online documentation systems

Many products and services now include online documentation, which is rapidly gaining acceptance among users. To compete successfully with paper documentation, online documentation systems must be designed to be as easy to use as traditional paper documents. To develop this ease of use, designers of online documentation must draw upon user interface design principles and established techniques for effective technical writing. This paper describes some advantages of online document systems, several factors that influence their usability, and recent developments in online documentation within AT&T. It also presents some examples of AT&T online documentation products.