Concrete Quote by Jakob Nielsen
“Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Usability Engineering by Jakob Nielsen, 1993
Effective documentation should be concise, task‑focused, searchable, and provide clear step‑by‑step guidance.
In simple terms: Good docs are short, searchable, and task‑oriented.
Key Takeaway
Write clear, task‑focused help.
Themes
usability
documentation
task focus
Mood
practical
informative
Type
instructional
technical
When to use this quote
- software onboarding
- customer support
- knowledge bases
- training materials
Key Concepts
human‑centered design
information architecture
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you keep help concise yet comprehensive?
- What search features aid users?
A Different Perspective
If docs become too detailed, users may ignore them.
