Remember how having that set of “training wheels” helped you learn to ride your two-wheeler? Or maybe you just learned by grit and determination and skinned knees. Those two choices apply in learning a new piece of software too.
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Get formal training in the new tool—go to an instructor-led class or take an online course. –That’s the training wheels approach.
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Jump in and try it out yourself.–That’s the skinned-knee approach.
For the learner, the two methods work best in two different situations. If you are learning a new photo editing system when you already know another system well or learning a new release of a familiar product, try learning on your own. When you are learning an entirely new type of software, take some kind of format training.
How does a technical writer support these two very different learning approaches?
For the learner who wants training wheels, we excel at creating courses. So that is pretty much covered.
But for the software explorer, we need a new approach. Think about where someone is going to topple off the bike, and try to supply help for that specific problem. Some ideas:
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Popup help triggered by the old command to show the new one.
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Quick tours that point out the areas worth exploring so the learner doesn’t miss any feature.
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FAQs—the old tried and true approach works.
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Targeted training modules focused on the very narrowest topics.
