Ensuring employees have the training resources needed in applications means they can work efficiently. It also makes work a lot nicer when there’s always help available.
That’s where contextual help comes in. It’s a powerful way to give employees resources to help themselves and training right in the application. If you’re not familiar with what contextual/in-app help is, read up on it to learn what it is and see some examples.
The essence of contextual help is providing a help resource right in an application in the context of both the software and the work. However, just like quality training requires planning and knowledge about adult learning, contextual help requires it just as much.
That means an instructional designer who can develop the right strategy for contextual help is valuable. They can make contextual help shine and build in-app support that’s helpful, makes sense, and isn’t overwhelming.
Contextual help isn’t simply creating steps of a process; it’s about providing context, stories, information, and more without overwhelming people. Behind the scenes lies a skilled instructional designer, the unsung hero of good contextual help.
Instructional designers play a crucial role in creating effective contextual help.
They don’t merely sprinkle help tips throughout the application; they craft a contextual help strategy that speaks directly to the user’s needs at every stage. It’s about working with the right partners to uncover an application’s sticky points and target those issues. This approach alleviates user frustration and significantly enhances the learning curve, making the application easier to use.
Instructional designers bring a wealth of knowledge in adult learning theories. They understand that adults learn best when information is relevant and immediately applicable. By weaving these principles into the fabric of contextual help, they ensure that users receive the right guidance precisely when needed.
With the right skills, instructional designers can take advantage of the power contextual help can offer employees. By pulling in additional resources, such as UI/UX teams, graphic designers, communications, and more, the efforts will be seamless and a well-promoted change.
This blend of adult learning theories and design principles results in application help that’s functional, intuitive, and user-friendly. The right blend of popups, help icons, and contextual information will ensure employees get the help they need when and where they need it.
The best contextual help efforts have an instructional designer involved to help contextual help shine.
The Role of Instructional Designers
Instructional designers are crucial in building contextual help that caters to users’ needs. These professionals bring their expertise in training and learning to the table, ensuring that contextual help features are not just an afterthought but an integral part of the application’s design.
By understanding how adults learn and incorporating adult learning theories into their strategies, instructional designers can create a seamless and effective contextual help experience. That could mean more relevant guides, videos that add the right information, or even external resources such as performance support when needed.
One key aspect that instructional designers focus on in contextual help is crafting relevant and applicable user guidance. They understand that adults learn best when information is directly related to their immediate needs without adding many extras.
Instructional designers tap into knowledge and resources to create an effective contextual help strategy.
By tailoring the help content to specific tasks or challenges that users may encounter, instructional designers ensure that users receive precise guidance precisely when needed. They’re also experts at working with partners to determine the best solution. Not all training or help should be contextual, and determining the right solution is part of what an instructional designer does.
The following sections cover what an instructional designer does to ensure contextual help is the right solution and executed correctly.
Applying Adult Learning Theories
This one shouldn’t be forgotten when creating contextual help. Subject matter experts often want to share all their expertise, which is a huge problem in training and extends to contextual help.
The success of contextual help lies in its simplicity and how adults learn. Instructional designers are well-versed in adult learning theories and leverage this knowledge to create effective strategies and simplify content from what the experts want to share (everything).
Instructional designers know that adults are motivated by practicality and relevance, so they design help features that address real-world scenarios and provide actionable solutions. It’s about working with the right people to uncover the right solution and simplifying it to only what employees need.
Any multimedia designed to work with contextual help must also abide by adult learning theories. That’s one of the main points differentiating an instructional designer from a novice or SME designing training.
Incorporating adult learning principles such as problem-solving, experiential learning, and self-directedness into contextual help strategies ensures users receive more than help. They should have opportunities to do things for themselves with guidance while being given the general framework to help themselves.
Craft Relevant and Applicable Guidance
For contextual help to be truly effective, it needs to provide relevant and applicable guidance to the user’s specific context. Instructional designers work closely with subject matter experts and stakeholders to gather insights into users’ needs and challenges. This collaborative approach allows them to create help content that directly addresses users’ pain points.
It’s about knowing all the tools available to make the right choice rather than simply using what’s new and cool. By crafting guidance tailored to specific tasks, instructional designers ensure that users receive the right information at the right time. It also helps ensure contextual help isn’t overwhelming to the point of being useless.
Whether it’s a step-by-step tutorial, a troubleshooting guide, or a quick tip, help content is designed to be easily accessible and actionable. Making the right choices for users will save them time and boost their confidence and ease of getting help with the application.
Collaborating for Seamless Integration
Contextual help features should seamlessly integrate into an application’s overall user interface and user experience. They should also look good and communicate simply and seamlessly.
This requires close collaboration between instructional designers and various teams, including UI/UX designers and graphic designers, and traditional partners such as SMEs and stakeholders. By working with various experts, instructional designers can ensure that help features are not intrusive or disruptive but instead feel natural and intuitive.
Instructional designers provide valuable input on where and how help features should be incorporated within the application’s interface. They consider user flow, visual hierarchy, and accessibility to determine the most effective placement for contextual help elements.
Collaboration results in a cohesive user experience, simplicity, and clarity so users can easily access relevant guidance without feeling overwhelmed or distracted.
Ensuring Timely and Precise Help
A key aspect of effective contextual help is assisting precisely when needed. Instructional designers work closely with topic experts and analytics teams to ensure help is available in the right place. For example, when someone is entering a specific medication that needs more context, a popup could help give users that context without effort.
Sometimes, the subject matter expert knows where the help needs to be, but other times, it requires sleuthing and teamwork. Instructional designers know how to find the right place to help by working with the experts.
Make Them Feel Natural and Unobtrusive
Contextual help features should seamlessly blend into the user’s workflow without causing disruption. Instructional designers understand the importance of making help features feel natural and unobtrusive, so they design them to be non-intrusive and easily dismissible.
It’s easy to create too many popups in an application, which can cause popup fatigue. This is a real problem that must be balanced with timely help. Quantity is not the measure of success or productivity regarding contextual help. A strategic plan that moves slowly and methodically will be more powerful than churning out contextual help.
Contextual help must be a natural and unobtrusive part of an application.
By strategically utilizing techniques such as tooltips, inline guidance, or contextual overlays, instructional designers ensure that help features are presented in a way that doesn’t interrupt the user’s task but provides valuable help.
It’s a balancing act between uninterrupted productivity but possibly harmful errors and getting users the help they might not know they need while getting them to look at it and use it. Creating a harmonious experience without giving employees the feeling of being overwhelmed or distracted is that sweet spot.
The Impact of Instructional Designers on User Satisfaction
The success of an application depends greatly on how comfortable users feel with it and whether sufficient help is provided. The impact of instructional designers on user satisfaction cannot be overstated.
By incorporating their expertise into contextual help strategies, instructional designers contribute to creating applications that effectively meet users’ needs. They can also contribute to collecting user feedback on both the application and help.
Users feel supported and empowered When they can easily find relevant guidance within an application. This leads to increased satisfaction with both the application and their overall experience. Instructional designers play a vital role in ensuring that contextual help is successful and well-planned.
Wrap Up
Instructional designers are the unsung heroes behind seamless contextual help experiences. Their expertise in training and learning, combined with their collaboration with other departments, ensures that contextual help features are not just an afterthought but an integral part of the application.
By understanding how adults learn and incorporating adult learning theories into their strategies, instructional designers create relevant and applicable guidance for users. They ensure that help features feel natural and unobtrusive, balancing the proper amount of information. Their impact on user satisfaction is undeniable, making them crucial in making contextual help shine.
Working with an instructional design consultant and contextual help expert is the key to creating a successful strategy. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your application and how we can integrate contextual help to create a more seamless and helpful experience for your employees.