AN EXPERIMENTAL-ANALYSIS OF END-USER SOFTWARE TRAINING MANUALS

This paper describes two experimental studies that examine the differe nce between software training manuals for new users of a groupware sof tware package. The manuals differed in terms of their elaboration of p rocedural, conceptual and usage information. It was expected that manu als with rich conceptual and usage elaborations would produce the best learning outcomes. No significant differences were found in the learn ing outcomes of subjects with either high or low levels of previous co mputer experience. The elements that influence the development of inst ructional manuals are analysed from the perspective of our findings. T he paper suggests that examining the underlying relationships between procedural, conceptual and usage information is an important topic for understanding and evaluating design guidelines for instructional manu als. Research into the methods used to communicate this information ma y provide insight on the usage and development of instructional manual s.