The Train the Users package

Introduction

Concerning the contents of the Pack that has to be the result of the Action 4, see the material presented by the Kick-off Meeting of this Project held in Thesaloniki (Greece) 24.-25. February 2000.

Here we give an overview of the planned document layout and a short description of the working method to use the “Train the Users” Pack.

General Document Layout

“Train the Users” Pack is planned to consist of

1. a very short introductory and lookup part print out in Braille, explaining
   • the basic use of the screen reader (hard- and software). This part has to be an exchangeable module, dealing ever with hard- and software actually in use.
   • how to start and to use the Tutorial
2. the main Tutorial realised as a distant education course in HTML format. The document layout has to be very simple excluding in first place all table and frame elements.

Main Features of the Tutorial

Modularity

To improve the portability and the further use of the tutorial, the document has to be highly modular. The modularity has to go in two directions:

1. All explanations and references concerning the adaptive technology has to be exchangeable – switchable - hanging upon the hard- and software in use. On the very Tutorial start the user has to choose the currently active Braille display and screen reader in use. After this all built-in links will point to the correct files containing the information documenting the hard- and software currently in use.
2. The inclusion of new manuals concerning different applications has to be possible straight forward. The user chooses on start-up, about which application he/she will learn in the current session.

Page and Section uniformity

To improve the orientation in the Tutorial and to make possible a very fast access to the information searched for, we have to make the sections and pages with similar look and supply some overall keywords making the orientation easier. The keywords like ACTION, SHORTCUT, MENU ITEM will be written in uppercases to stress their keyword role.

We will use links labeled with uniform names to lead the user to the relevant explanations for how to carry out a specific action.

The important Braille display and screen reader manual entries have also to be accessible very easy from every position within the Tutorial.

Browser Recommendation

We will optimize the Tutorial document for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer. This should improve the support of a sighted trainer. The limitation to using a text-only browser such as for example Lynx, could make the cooperation between a blind user and a sighted trainer more complicated. The transparency and the simplicity of the Tutorial´s HTML source should also give a good starting point material for the training in the use of Internet.