Objects, Tasks and Concepts

Effective documentation is built around the work environment of the user. The index, too, should relate to the work the user performs. As in the body of your documentation, topics in your index should consist primarily of objects, tasks and concepts from the world of the user:

Tasks relate to what the user is trying to accomplish, e.g. calling an associate, drawing a map or optimizing a supply plan.
Objects relate to things that users manipulate to accomplish their tasks, e.g. phone numbers, geographic features or bills of material.
Concepts relate to the knowledge framework of the user's work, e.g. telephone directories, map projections or production scheduling techniques.

While the most useful entries in an index relate to the user's world, you may also need to include some entries that relate to the software itself. For example, some tasks may relate to how the computer software works, e.g. saving a file or deleting a data point. Similarly, objects such as the major dialog boxes or menus may be key to understanding the user interface. Concepts may include batch vs. online processing or linking between database records.

Be certain that all entries are things the user would look up. For example, users are unlikely to remember the names of all the dialog boxes. Put in entries for the tasks the user accomplishes with the dialog boxes or for the objects manipulated.

The analysis of tasks, objects and concepts forms the basis for designing the user interface and the documentation. This analysis will also lay the foundation for building an effective index -- where users can quickly locate the information they need using terms from the world they know.

Fred Brown
Allegro Technical Indexing
fred.brown@allegrotechindexing.com
(613) 728-9373

August, 2000
Allegro Time!