HELP Systems and Personas
Help systems are not always substitutes for good design. They can help clarify parts of the design that need to be explained to new users, but sometimes a good design could solve those problems as well. If a help system is too invasive and pushy, it's doing more harm than good. The user is being bullied into using the application a certain way and be turned away from it, if the introductory walk through is too pushy. However, some applications aren't easily understandable to beginners, and they do need help or they would also be turned away.
One persona could be a child who would enjoy watching a movie or tv show with the character and the item we design, and would be interested in buying a toy replica of it to play with. Another could be a parent, who wouldn't usually watch a superhero movie, but wants to watch it with their kid. The device should be intriguing to them as well. A third persona could be an avid comic book reader, who knows about all of the character's previous devices and would be interested to see a new spin off a traditionally used item.
How does a help system bully users into using an application a certain way? Doesn't it simply help users learn how to use the program for its designed purpose? What about pop-up hints, similar to the paper clip in Microsoft Word?
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