Standards Development

Scope

This document provides requirements and recommendations on user assistance, their nature, use and guidance on how to use them. This document is concerned with software components of interactive systems to make human-system interaction usable as far as the most basic interaction aspects are concerned.This document provides a list of generic user assistance guidelines regardless of a specific visualization and implementation technology. It gives guidance and recommendations on selection, usage and dependencies of user assistance and their applications in various contexts.It does not provide detailed coverage of the methods and techniques required for design and implementing of user assistance.The information in this document is intended for use by those responsible for developing user interfaces, but also for planning and managing platform specific aspects of user interface design. It therefore addresses technical issues only to the extent necessary to allow such individuals to understand the relevance and importance of a consistent interaction technique use in the design process. It also provides a framework for human factors and usability professionals involved in human-centred design. Detailed human factors, ergonomics, usability, and accessibility issues are dealt with more fully in a number of standards including other parts of ISO 9241 which sets out the broad principles of ergonomics (see Bibliography).Annex A provides a checklist that can be used to support claims of conformance to this standard.