My father checks his share prices everyday with a web based applet. He is nearly sixty, before he's interested in buying shares, he didn't even know how to switch on the PC. So, how could he possible know how to use a web application?
Apparently it's because of his son. By the time he requested to use my home PC to track his shares, I decided to write a super comprehensive user manual for a so-called computer idiot like my father. These are the things being covered in the manual:
1) How to on my PC
2) What is Windows login
3) How to use the keyboard and mouse (when to click left and right button)
4) Where is the places accept inputs (textboxes)
5) What type of mouse cursors indicate that you can type something
6) Where is Enter key and what is that for
7) How to activate wireless network connection (my wireless card somehow doesn't detect the signal automatically during startup)
8 ) What is icon
9) How to click on an icon
10) Where is the link for logging into the web application and how to click on it
11) Again, how to move the mouse to the username/password textboxes
12) How to search for a stock and check the price
13) Finally, how to close IE and shutdown the PC
Secret:
I moved the IE icon to a more prominent position and set the home page pointing to the website so that I can skip the effort of telling how to enter URL. I guess my father would believe that the IE is actually the software given by the
trade service provider and the web app is the only place he can go.
Of course I included all the necessary login information and a lot of screenshots in the document. I was so happy that I was able to create that great guide which turns people who never use computer before to be able to play around with Java applet. Until just now I got a call from my father, I came to realize that there're bunch of things must be included into the manual (therefore I won't get called for help too often):
1) Which LED on the keyboard indicates that the Caps Lock or Num Lock is on
2) How to make sure you can safely perform inputs
3) When to wait and when not to
4) When will the user account be locked or deactivated
5) How and when to adjust the system time
6) Where you should never click
7) And something to be discovered soon
Writing spec or document isn't easy at all, especially true for the chinese version one.
