問74
頻出度★☆☆
オンラインヘルプに関する記述として, 適切なものはどれか。
平成24年度 秋期 ITパスポート試験 問74
テクノロジ系情報デザイン › インタフェース設計
This question's explanation and your answers so far.
解説
問 74
Incorrectア
This describes grid computing (distributed and parallel processing). It refers to a technique that splits a large amount of processing, which would take a long time on a single machine, among many PCs and servers connected by a network so that they run at the same time, making the work as a whole faster. It is an idea about processing performance, used for scientific and technical computation or analysis, and it is a completely different concept from online help, which is there to be read for operating instructions.
Incorrectイ
This describes a help desk (support center). It refers to a staffed contact point or organization where users inquire by phone, email, or the like when trouble occurs with the PC itself or its peripheral devices, and a person tells them how to deal with it. It is easy to confuse because it contains the same word “help,” but online help is documentation (a function) that users read on screen to solve problems themselves, whereas a help desk is a service point where people respond, so the actor is different.
Incorrectウ
This describes a wizard. It refers to a function that breaks a complex setting or operation down into an interactive form in which you answer questions one after another by following the on-screen instructions, so that even a beginner can complete it by following the steps. Installers and initial-setup screens are typical examples. A wizard is a mechanism that carries out the operation itself on the user's behalf, so its role differs from that of online help, which has you search for and read documentation.
- エ
正解 The correct answer is エ. Online help is a function or service that makes explanations of how to use hardware and software available on the PC screen rather than as a printed paper manual. The word “online” refers to the state in which users can look something up directly from the computer at the very moment they are using the product; in this sense the description in エ is itself the definition of online help. What characterizes online help is the way of reading it, which takes advantage of being in electronic form: (1) following the table of contents down through its levels, (2) running a full-text search by keyword and jumping straight to the relevant place, and (3) moving to related items or term explanations through hyperlinks in the text. Typically it is called up from an application's [Help] menu, the F1 key, or a [?] button on a dialog box, and context-sensitive help (context help), which directly opens the explanation matching the screen you are currently working on, is also included. In recent years, besides being bundled with the product, it is also common for the vendor to provide it on their website as an online manual or FAQ that is always kept up to date. Compared with a paper manual, its advantages are that no printing or distribution cost is needed, updating is easy, and search lets you reach the description you want in a short time. Therefore エ is appropriate.
ここがポイント
- Definition of online help — a function or service that lets you look up operating instructions on the PC screen instead of in a printed manual. It offers a table of contents, keyword search, and movement to related items via hyperlinks, and is called up from the [Help] menu or the F1 key. Its advantages over a paper manual are that it is easy to update and that you can reach the description you want faster.
- Telling apart the terms that “help the user” — online help (on-screen documentation = a function for solving problems yourself), help desk (a staffed inquiry point = a service organization), and wizard (a function that guides you through the steps in an interactive form) are easily confused. Distinguish them by who or what does the helping, and by whether it has you read or has you operate.
用語