Hi all,

We at Nokia Care would like to hear your feedback on the Nokia N900 User guides and Get started guide. Your feedback will be valuable when making User guide updates for the next software releases and also when planning the User guide content for the next Maemo device. This is purely an informal feedback thread, as I'm also interested in learning how the Maemo community sees the role of end-user documentation in general for Maemo devices.

My questions are the following:

1. How would you rate the current support offering for N900, in your own words? Please give your evaluation separately for a) the printed Get started guide, b) the in-device User guide (you can access it through File manager > Documents > User guides), and c) the User guide PDF on the Nokia Support site.
2. What’s your opinion on the current concept of providing end user documentation, that is, a short, printed get started guide in the sales box, and the longer guides available on the web and in-device? Do you expect Nokia to provide a longer User guide in the sales box, or is the Get started guide enough?
3. Maemo 5 doesn't have a help framework. What’s your opinion, should there be one for Maemo 6? What would an ideal help system be in your opinion?
4. And finally, how do you see the role of the Maemo community in providing end-user support? Do you think the community could be more involved in the process of making the User guides (for example, as a content reviewer)? What would, in your opinion, be a good solution for the community to get involved?

Of course, any other feedback (or suggestion) is very welcome : )

Thank you very much for your feedback!

Best regards,

Harri Suhonen
Nokia Care

PS. Please note that if you find any bugs in the User guide or Get started guide, please report them in Bugzilla (Under User guide & Help content), so that we get all the possible bugs fixed in time.

Mods? Sticky this?

I didn't even see the on device user guide. I don't need a big printed guide (the one included seemed ok enough--I barely looked at it honestly though). What I did look at a bit was a long PDF that was pretty hard to track down. It was on third party sites then eventually seemed to appear in Nokia's webspace.

Longer guides available online. More technical docs that are typically only available to service centers should be made available publicly.

More docs on the wiki with lots of HOWTOs. This could be tied more directly into the browser. Perhaps a N900/microb theme for the wiki could be made as well (e.g. one with far less clutter than a wiki usually has).

It seems the Maemo community is doing the end user support already. They definitely are going to review your User guides, so you might as well let them review *before* you print. Just slap "beta" on the cover. Works for google.

Also, any and all technical docs should be made public!

Thanks for posting this. I do believe this kind of post is a win-win for Nokia and the Community.

1)
I dont know about the get started guides really. When I encounter a problem with the phone I proceed as follows A) search talk.maemo.org. If that doesn't help I B) ask the community. If I still can't figure out the solution I either give or try to hack together something myself to solve the problem. The thought of reading the user guide never occured to me.

2)
The getting started video is all that is needed really. Together with detailed specifications of the capabilities of the device, both software and hardware.

3)
As in press F1 for help? I dont think it is needed. I am a little annoyed that there is no man pages in the terminal though. In graphical programs I think it can be done in using the browser and implemented by the programs that need a help system.

4)
The Maemo community is providing the end-user support already. That is fine. I think Nokia should focus on supporting the community. Nokia could make an effort monitoring the forums and clearing up questions where the community get stuck or fail to reach consensus.

Hello,

First i would like to thank you for coming here and showing some interest to this community. I think we would really appreciate more communication from your side. As you are part of this community or at least some kind of mother figure on background

1)
I noticed printed Get started guide and after trying to open my phone i had to read it because i was really afraid that i would break something. Besides that didn't pay much attention to it.

I do not anymore remember what default icons i had on my desktops but if there was no link to user guide then there really should be. Actually i haven't even seen anyone to mention here that there is user guide in phone. Actually there should be link to it from system default icons. Since you had to tell/describe to us where it is i think that already tells something about how hard it is to find.

Getting started animation/guide was quite nice, but maybe it should go little deeper. Clicking more tutorials will take you to http://maemo.nokia.com/ which is bit confusing. You can find some hints about things you can do from features, but i think that more this getting started kind animations for example about browser and its gestures etc. would make thing easier/faster to learn. I think that Nokia conversations youtube channels 30 seconds videos are quite nice and informative so maybe something like that also.

2)
I think that getting started is quite nice. It should only contain some troubleshooting and really basic guides on how to put your phone ready. Maybe how to transfer data from your old phone and how to connect to pc. Links to different webpages including this one.

I do not have it right here so I will give more detailed review when i have found it.

3)
I think that help system consist different kind of sources. Nokias own pages, this page and off course your stores and people selling your products.

There is already brainstorm about this:
http://maemo.org/community/brainstor...ion_framework/
I think that wiki base system could be way to go, but right now wiki on this page is quite constricted and simple. Problems with wiki might be seamless integration between n900 (offline/online), maemo.org, apps.

4)
Right now people are doing wonderful work here by trying to help users again and again. In my opinion Nokias role is to make quality of hw and provided default software as high as possible and constantly listen community to keep things evolving and making maemo better. You guys there should be toughest ones to satisfy and should demand more from you product than what users want

Community should be involved in the process of making users guides. Maybe in way that you provide default templates. As it looks like you have already provided and we make additions to them and make crosslinkin between different pages. Off course after you give those guides to community you are not responsible for them anymore. Maybe you could have couple of reviewers from your company who give accreditation to wiki pages that you qualify as good and reliable.

Problem would be that I´m here thinking only English pages and I have no idea how this should be done on different languages. Duplicate wiki?

Intro: I've had N810 for quite a while now so I have lots of background. I also may not be your typical manual reader anyway and so not the target audience. On the other hand there are probably lots of people like me among Maemo 5 users...


How would you rate the current support offering for N900, in your own words?

When I opened the box I did leaf through the get started guide and read it a bit more while letting the device get some charge before booting. It served its purpose and contained some good info. From 1 to 5, 4+.

While I've now flipped through the manual on device, I don't consider reading it seriously enough to rate it.

Is the Get started guide enough?

I would say there is no need for heavy manual in package. You can't carry it around and it gets out of date. What I really would have wanted would have been a separate quicksheet of somesort with shortcuts and browser gestures. This would have been really nice when getting to know the device. It combines much of the stuff you can't figure out yourself and can't bother to browse through the manual for.

Also, while I now remember reading about it, I had forgotten the manual inside the device. The info of "Where to get more info" on a starter manual could be printed on the back cover with large, friendly letters "Don't panic! Full manual can be found at ....". Also an icon in start menu might be in order.

What would an ideal help system be in your opinion?

I think most important feature is the search. If it is not as easy and quick as Google on an internet tablet turned to phone, don't bother.

Still, because M6 will probably be way more mainstream, some sort of quick guide attached to the each of the basic apps would be good I think. Maybe the help framework could have an easy way to continue searching info online. Maemo should be the ideal environment for that.

What would, in your opinion, be a good solution for the community to get involved?

Two things come to my mind. First is some sort of filtered searchable question answer database. Make this available from the help framework and community could create and/or improve the questions and answers.

Second is simply by reviewing manuals if they are made available before hand. It certainly isn't the strong point of most opensource communities, but you could give it a try

a) The guide is alright, i must say I've read so much about this device before that i barely looked it up (and actually did that with the pdf prior to getting the device)

b) I know it's there, don't really think it's going to be used but it's a nice touch.

c) That's probably the one i read through a forum link... It'll probably only serve with the troubleshooting if i ever need any.

Actually a simple 2 pages schematic/graphical appealing sheet would be even nicer with a small booklet for troubleshooting as you can't use the device for that.

Lots and lots of docs... No real opinion here, I trust my forum rather than anything else.

As other have said, we need a lot more integration with the community which is doing most of the support work for Nokia...
But we need to have info about upcoming feature to prepare for, we need to have more granular updates and we need Nokia to answer us when questions are raised on the forum.

cheers!

What a great thread. Thank you for asking our opinion.

a) the printed Get started guide
I didn't find it first in the box.
My box (bought in Vienna, Austria) also contained both the English and the German version. I have to admit my first impression was that this has to be an error and the English version had been put in there instead of the real handbook that I expected. Which pretty much describes my problem with the quick start guide... see your next question.

It is a good quick start guide. Where to open the device, how to insert the SIM-card... basic usage... all very clear and helpful. There was not one single thing that I was uncertain about.

b) the in-device User guide

To be honest, although I've owned each Maemo device from the 770 to the N900, I never opened those files (if they were there in the early devices at all - I don't know).
I tried to read it now so I could answer your question, but I stopped after a few clicks. It's like an endless ocean of words. When I'm on a page, I don't know where I am, if it's the beginning or the end of a chapter... I cannot quickly scan through it if I want to find a certain table again ("What was the meaning of the yellow exclamation mark again? I've seen it somewhere here.")
I cannot imagine having to use this, ever. Not because of the content. Because of the way it's presented.

c) the User guide PDF on the Nokia Support site

Again, I didn't read it when I got the device. I never knew it was there! I had to search a few minutes on the nokia.at site until I found it, it's not easy to find.
I love it. Of all three, it's the one I should have had from the beginning. Example? I was curious about which LED-signals to expect. I had seen yellow, green and blue. Was there a red signal maybe? I asked here in the forum. Hey, it's all in this PDF!
It's these things that make a manual useful... Buttons in applications you just tap on and see what happens. But sometimes the options aren't as evident. And sometimes you just don't search for them because you couldn't imagine they exist at all.

Oh, yes, and in comparison to other Nokia manuals: It has screenshots/photos! At least some! As much as I like Nokia products, I hate their manuals that are usually full of text and only a few very abstract drawings. You own a shiny new toy and the manual shows a a blue rectangle instead. There's a pretty menu with icons and the manual shows its items as text. A lot of this you still find in the N900-PDF, but the section about the camera really shows a pretty screenshot in color! A good start.

Some input:
Sometimes the manual gets a bit carried away with Maemospeak. "Sharing" is a concept that works beautifully once you discovered it, but when people want to know how to send files via bluetooth, they'll probably quickly scan such a manual for words like "send via..." and skip a "sharing" section. Also, the word "Avatar" in the chapter about the contacts seemed a bit out of place. These could both be translation problems though. Maybe it's completely OK for a native English speaker in the English version.

On an emotional level, as someone who just (could have) spent €600,- on this thing, I expected something that at least tells me 2 or 3 of the tricks it does and confirms that it was a good thing to buy it. "Look how easy it is to take a picture, geotag and tag it, then finally upload to Ovi! Oh, while you read this, why not register the account and we'll show you how to set up the chat later? And here, see, there's a demo video on the device to show off the media player. Try internet radio while you're there. And then there's the FM transmitter, you must try the FM transmitter!" See what I mean? Describing how to operate the kickstand is nice, too, but it's not quite the €600-experience I was looking for in the box. (And that was only me. I knew as a member of this community what the N900 could do. Still I wanted this re-assuring feeling of an official "Look what your toy can do"-brochure. Now imagine other customers who really don't know about sharing on Ovi and VoIP and geotagging and whatnot.)

Actually, I even expect more. I expect the full handbook as it is for download on the support site in printed form. I typically unpack, play with the device, then take the manual when I go to bed and read. Really. So that I know next day what a blinking blue light means and why I sometimes see 3G and sometimes 3.5G. No, online files are not a replacement. They're not fun. And, as stated above, about the PDF on the web I didn't even know.


I come from the S60 world. I got my current phone in 2007. And: I still use its built in, context-sensitive help every now and then. Sometimes you just don't know what applications expect in a certain field in the settings. Full XMPP-account including domain? Or username only? That's when you're glad to have context sensitive help, small snippets of information that cover this one settings dialogue only. Like in Maemo, when you set up a new GTalk account and click on "advanced": What's a "resource" again? Is this important? Do I have to set it? It would help a lot having information like "Chose different values here if you're using the same account from two devices." available in an online help system.

Have translations checked. Nokia and translations don't go together well.
Other than that, I'm not sure. It would be cool if, say, somebody who recently got the device and remembers what wasn't clear to him in the beginning could check and tell you if this one topic is sufficiently explained in the manual - nice idea, but then it's too late. You should have your documentation ready before this user buys his device.
No, I really don't have a good idea here.

Before answering the questions I would point out that by FAR the best support offering and indeed the only one I have used have been this forum.

1a) I quickly browsed through it looking for something I couldn't quite work out (I have forgotten what it was) and haven't looked at it since.

1b) I had no idea it was there.

1c) I saw a pre-release version of it and browsed through it but I have not seen it since. Didn't check.

2) Fine by me. Spend the money making a better device or sell it cheaper. The quick start guide is enough. One thing though. It's not that long ago that I bought the 5800 and price wise the 5800 is sort of mid range whereas the N900 is definitely expensive. It seem slightly odd that the 5800 box is packed with stuff - including a quite big printed manual whereas the N900 is quite sparse. I am not asking for a printed manual - but don't make customers feel you just want to pocket more money. You could have included screen protector, extra battery, extra stylus (ala the 5800) and a headset that was at least as good as the 5800 or better. In other words - do not waste money on printed manuals but do let the customer share that saving somehow.

3) Ideal help is an active forum combined with google. In-device help ala Windows Mobile/Symbian is complete waste of space and energy (I have had 2-3 symbian 60 devices and I have never ever used the built-in help). Put the energy into making a good intuitive user interface instead.

4) Oh - I answered that one already and I would rather see it the other way around. I might be wrong but I haven't seen any nokia staff participate in the forum on this site and there has been discussions where I think Nokia aught to have kicked in a few remarks (for example the reboot and dead pixel discusions).

Other feedback as requested:

Ha, ha - TWO then - now you ask:

1. Portrait/landscape switch ala 5800 - with same on-display input possibilities (specially the alphanumeric keypad so you can use it one handed)

2. SyncML Over IP

3. OVI maps at least as capable as 5800 (actually that's probably the only thing where I feel Nokia promised more than they kept - I knew from the forum but checking the marketing material there was no hint that it was a different ovi maps than I knew from symbian)

4. (and I do realize this is not really up to Nokia but perhaps Nokia could work with Google on it) Google Mobile Maps

But that is about it - it's already quite a nice device.

Lars...

Hi Harri,

Thanks for the initiative!

As I mentioned to you in private previously, I really like the user guide. It's well written and nicely structured. Especially the HTML version on the device.

It is a pity that it's not available in HTML somewhere where we can link to it from forum threads and wiki pages. There is a lot of duplicated effort (and, dare I say, sub-standard answers which have been answered better in the user guide) which could be avoided if the user guide were available as HTML online, or as wiki pages.

I can understand a need for quality control for documents which will be printed & included with devices by Nokia.

Like others I didn't know the user guide was on the device until it was pointed out to me.

I would love to see a searchable & indexed version of the user guide on Maemo 6 devices. Unlike some other posters here, I use on-tablet help a fair bit, my first instinct when I have a problem on my computer with something I can't figure out is to hit F1 or Help->Contents, I'd like something similar on the devices. Especially since I'm offline often when I want to use the device.

Thanks for asking!
Dave.