Usability Evaluation of AVI Clips in Online Help

This paper presents the results of a case study that evaluated the usability of AVI (audio/video interlace) clips in online help. The goal of the research was to provide data in support of the hypothesis that AVI clips encourage users to use online help. In order to collect data, a first full-scale proof-of-concept prototype was developed using Microsoft HTML Help Workshopreg and TechSmith Camtasia Recorderreg. The case study testbed was the Trackercopy application, a project activity tracking software package developed by the author. Based on the usability evaluation data collected in the case study, this paper concludes that AVI clips were helpful in encouraging the users to use online help. It also underlines the need for further research using larger population samples in a variety of application settings in conjunction with other tools such as cue cards and wizards