Most people do not read the message contained in any window that looks like an error message. So if we are trying to deliver Help, error messages are not the right mechanism. With our proposed system, we would replace the standard error message with a Help window. This approach would allow the information developer to display the right Help and offer hyperlinks to automated corrective action or other types of support. This approach could facilitate learning by exploration and provide feedback sufficient to build a mental model about how things work in the software application.
Many software applications use drop-down lists or radio buttons.
Unfortunately, the meaning, significance, and outcome of each selection is not always clear. We propose an Option List Companion that opens by clicking a button next to the drop-down list or radio buttons. This companion would display a Help window with a description for each option. We could select an option by clicking the associated hyperlink. This would close the Option List Companion and display our choice from the drop-down list or radio buttons.