Bellcore (a spin-off from Bell Labs) has been involved with the development of EPSS for various telephone company systems, many of which were initially created years ago and run on older mainframe computers. For example, Bellcore developed an EPSS in the form of an online help system for the MARCH program used to configure electronic switching equipment. After conducting a task analysis of switching operations, they were able to identify certain kinds of information need to do the job that was not easily available -- and hence formed the basis for the help system. Emphasis was placed on providing multiple pathways to help topics as well as extensive indexing and search capabilities. Interestingly, the MARCH help system included video segments demonstrating procedures, but the video was replaced by still photos which were found to be as effective and improved system performance.

In a more ambitious project, Bellcore developed the AdVisor help system which provided context-sensitive information relative to the current screen or field the user is on. When the user activates the help system, it provides information that is specific to the current screen or field including explanation of what is expected and what the response options are. The AdVisor system was especially valuable for new users since it eliminated the need for lengthy training beforehand. A third help system developed by Bellcore was MediaVantage. Unlike the other two systems, this one did not need to run on a mainframe systems and could take advantage of the multimedia capabilities of the Windows environment. Each screen of the application program was linked to a help page that contained an image of the screen with pop-up boxes to explain the purpose of every field or button. This help system was found to be very easy to use and reduced the need for application training and documentation.

Across all of the EPSS efforts, the Bellcore team reports some common lessons: (1) meet with your customers and the system developers early and often -- to be sure you're on the right track, (2) be sure to know who is doing what in the development of the EPSS -- it requires very close coordination with the systems developers, and (3) be sure to match the right kind of EPSS with the user need and the system capabilities.

Source: G. Larson, "Enhancing performance through customized online learning support." ASTD Technical & Skills Training, May/June 1997.