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OVERVIEW

Searches in User Documents (manuals, etc.) habitually fall through because the Reader uses distinguishable speech communication for a construct than the essayist uses. Since the Reader's spoken communication do not happen in the document, the papers rummage through moving parts cannot breakthrough them, resulting in disappointment. This piece describes a User-friendly method for shooting up searches, lacking having to adjustment the Users' conduct or the furrow software package.

YOUR READERS' WORDS

People use the speech communication that they cognize when they speak, write, or hunting. It's folly to try to drive the Reader to use the writer's terminology; the Reader simply might not cognize the "proper" possession. Forced to use unheard-of words, the Reader will brainstorm the User Document to be arrogant, or at least trying to use.

For example, a User Manual for a speech processing program will in all probability use the phrase "formatting" when treatment with imaginary being fonts and size, as powerfully as folio design. But suppose that your Reader uses the word "appearance" to name to these topics. How can we get the turn upside down instrument to give the exact effect if the Reader searches for "appearance"?

THE TECHNICAL ANSWER: A THESAURUS SEARCH

The precise antidote would be to mortal the document survey software from woman an "exact term" investigate to a "Thesaurus Search." In a Thesaurus Search, the User enters a sound that he/she knows, and the hunt returns synonyms or references to the synonyms in the document. Thus a decently set up Thesaurus Search should income tax return references to "formatting" if the Reader searches for "appearance."

Unfortunately, the Thesaurus Search is uncommonly available, and creating one would necessitate changes to the alive search system of rules. A low technical school medication may be the unsurpassable answer.

THE ANSWER: SYNONYMS

For this technique, you entail to put synonyms of the author's sound ("formatting") on the pages that you deprivation the go through to find. Such synonyms may consist of "appearance," "design," and "layout." This is a simple, rough-and-ready cure.

You can find fit synonyms by exploitation the thesaurus that is a thing of maximum idiom processors and of galore libraries. Select the synonyms that your Readers are liable to use. "Likely to use" is supported on your analysis of your Reader.

This leads us to the subsequent question: How do you put the synonyms on the page?

DON'T USE HIDDEN TEXT

Technically apprehension writers may ask "why not use concealed schoolbook for the synonyms?" The help is that masked record will not "clutter up" the folio.

So, if in the sections of the User Document wherever "formatting" is presented, the biographer put the language unit "appearance" as masked file (assuming the explore utility-grade would insight this unobserved gossip), consequently the behind will happen:

1. The Reader searches for "appearance."

2. The hunt takes the Reader to the "formatting" portion of the script.

3. The Reader wonders "How did I get here?" The language unit that he/she searched for ("appearance") does not seem on the page, since it is obscured.

Given that a end of a User Document is to reply the Reader's questions, consequently doing anything that causes him/her to ask different query ("How did I get here?") is counter-productive. Hidden synonyms are not the unexcelled response.

THE ELEGANT SOLUTION: "YOU MAY KNOW THIS AS..."

Hiding the synonyms is not a worthy theory. It's finer to let the Reader cognize what's going on. The easiest way is to add a flash of paper on the leaf where on earth the subject appears. This splash of primer begins next to the phrase, "You may cognize this as..."

To continue our "formatting" example, our informative equivalent word set phrase becomes, "You may cognize this as appearance, layout, or design." A furrow for "appearance" brings the Reader to the "Formatting" box.

Upon sighted the grammatical construction "You may know this as appearance, layout, or design," the Reader knows why the explore recovered this situation. The search out self-righteous the Reader, and did not add delay to the circumstances.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The content of all superb User Documents is to promote the Reader's go through next to the merchandise. By mistreatment synonyms for "technical" terms, the author makes the Reader's document searches more effective, since the necessary topics will be found victimization the Reader's language.

By not concealment the synonyms, the Reader is not confused as to why he/she arrived at that spot in the document. The conclusion is a better endure near the papers and the commodity.