December 20, 2006
Instructional text on the page
When is instructional text on a page appropriate? When it is appropriate, how much is too much?
Instructional text should not be used to fix issues inherent in the design or content. First, discover and fix the issues that you can, then look at instructional text as one possible solution for what’s left over.
Begin by asking what elements on the page cause problems for the users. You can get this information from a combination of sources: usability studies, technical support calls, trainers who train new users, salespeople in the field, etc. Once you have the answer, ask yourself what can be done to fix the issues you identified. For example: Can the layout be changed to reduce clutter and make more obvious what the user is supposed to do next? Can field labels be changed so that they use language the user will understand?
For the subset of issues that cannot be fixed by changing the design or content, consider instructional text on a case-by-case basis to determine whether it’s the right solution. Also consider other solutions such as hover help, field-input examples, and small pop-up windows. In cases where you believe instructional text on the page might be the best answer, keep it short—no more than a sentence or two—and test it with users to determine whether the language and terminology are appropriate and helpful.
