| dc.description.abstract | In response to a gap in the literature addressing the creation process and types of user documentation businesses upload to their websites, this study looks at online user documents and elicits the perspective of employees working in small business settings in order to discover trends in documentation practices, and to forecast the perceived value of online user documentation in the near future. The author used semi-structured interviews to collect data from individuals who create or support online documentation in their work. In the second part of the study, the author analyzed a sample of publicly available user documentation on small to mid-sized company websites to chart documentation types and features. Results of the semi-structured interviews revealed the following themes. First, they highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating, reviewing, and publishing online user documentation. Secondly, the results indicated that online user documentation is considered a medium to low priority when compared to other projects. Despite this perception, the participants indicated that resources devoted to documentation are not diminishing, but rather growing in one way or another. The web document analysis found the most common types of online user documentation are product data sheets and blogs/articles. The length of documents and volume of documentation for each company varied widely in the sample, but common features included use of color graphics and document hierarchy such as headings. To conclude, the implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and possible extensions for future research are discussed. | en_US |
