The use of technologies is a defining element in the identity of software user assistance professionals. Enhancing a product's usability requires transforming our words and ideas into digital form, and there are a variety of technologies to help us do that. In our survey we provided a list of a list of popular user assistance technologies and asked the respondents to value the importance of those technologies in their current development efforts.

The technologies we presented to the survey respondents are broad solution technologies as opposed to specific file formats. For example, Microsoft’s HTML Help provides a comprehensive solution to user assistance in the Windows environment, while HTML is a technology that gains value only when used in conjunction with a broader technology like HTML Help or browser-based Help. Foundation technologies like HTML, XML, and JavaScript are dealt with specifically in the Skills section of the survey.

The figure below shows the top-rated user assistance technologies. These technologies are rated as either "4" (Very Valuable) or "5" (Invaluable), the top two ratings on a five point scale. The yellow bars show the current results and the pink bars show the ratings from 2001 survey for comparison.

Adobe Acrobat has moved to the top of the list as the most valued technology component. This viewer has become a staple in our documentation sets. The Acrobat PDF files can be delivered on an installation CD or via the Web. In the past, this technology was mainly used for legacy print documents like user guides, and also for supplemental white papers and troubleshooting information. But the applications of Acrobat are apparently growing as its value has increased 6% since last year's survey and 14% in two years. Today we find many organizations using Acrobat PDF files as the primary distribution format for its product documentation.

The use of browser-based Help continues to be very popular with 72% of respondents valuing it highly. The lure of displaying content in a web browser window seems to offer enough positive value for us to favor it over more feature-rich, platform-specific proprietary Help systems. This form of content delivery uses standard and non-standard Web technologies to deliver Help content through Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers. Implementation strategies run the gamut from using basic HTML pages to proprietary solutions like WebHelp and WebWorks Help to complex renderings employing custom JavaScript and Active Server Pages.

Traditional documentation components are still valued highly. Two-thirds of the respondents rate printed manuals with a "4" or "5," and quick reference materials receives the same ratings by 55% of those who answered the survey.

The World Wide Web is a vital part of our documentation as evidenced by the strong showing in the survey. However, there is a large percentage decrease from the 2001 survey value. The reason for this is unclear. Until recently, the Web was primarily used as a supplement to online Help and printed manuals. As we move increasingly toward Web-based applications and broadband Internet connections, server-side deployment of user assistance via the Web is becoming a hot topic in many tech pubs departments. So the Web is filling more than one role.

Microsoft HTML Help is valued highly by over half of us while the importance of the WinHelp format continues to diminish. More information on Microsoft's Help standards is presented in the Windows Help section of this survey summary.

Other Results

Here are the percentages of respondents rating the rest of the technology choices as either "Very Valuable" or "Invaluable":

• Product demos — 34%
• Web-based training — 33%
• Embedded user assistance — 33%
• "Read me" files — 28%
• Interactive helpers — 23%
• JavaHelp — 13%
• Oracle Help — 4%
• Apple Help — 4%