This can be generalized to the entire program’s structure rather than focused to the help menu…
Experts have identified five characteristics to make a help menu effective:[33]
- “context-specific” — the help menu contains only the information relevant to the topic that is being discussed or sought
- “useful“ — in conjunction with being context-specific, the help menu must be comprehensive in including all of the information that the user seeks
- “obvious to invoke“ — the user must have no trouble in locating the help menu or how to gain access to its contents
- “non-intrusive“ — the help menu must not interfere with the user’s primary path of work and must maintain a distance that allows for its use only when requested
- “easily available“ — the information of the help menu must be accessible with little or few steps required
