User assistance provides information to help a person to interact with software. This can include describing the user interface, but also focuses on how to help the user to best apply the software capabilities to their needs. User assistance can be considered a component of the broader category of
user experience.
Devices User assistance employs a number of devices including help,
wizards,
tutorials, printed manuals (and their
PDF equivalents), and user interface text. User assistance professionals also contribute to enterprise knowledge bases and
content management systems.
Skills required Effective user assistance development requires a variety of communication skills. These include writing, editing,
task analysis, and
subject-matter expert (SME) interviewing. Since the user assistance profession is directly involved with software development, the discipline often requires an understanding of
UI design, usability testing,
localization, testing,
quality assurance, instructional design,
scripting or
programming, and accessibility. == Forms ==