Wikipedia:Help Project/Guidelines

This is a WikiProject advice page.

It contains the advice or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on Wikipedia or its process, as pertaining to topics within the WikiProject(s) area of interest. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

Help pages provide explanation, instruction, and practical guidance . This document lays out help page design principles to create useful, simple, accessible help pages that will answer editors' questions and solve their problems.

Focus on users and use cases

Speak to the reader about the problem they are trying to solve

Use active, present tense language like "Adding references", "Customizing tables"...
Use descriptive headings like "I want to...", "How do I...?"
Help real people solve real problems. Don't give loads of background they don't need.

Encourage and reassure readers

Leave readers with more confidence and understanding than they started with

A conversational style can help pages be more approachable and enjoyable to work with, especially for new users
Don't make readers feel stupid, or guilty for not having read all of the Help articles

Keep it simple

Focus on the most common paths and make them easily visible

Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Sentences should be fewer than 25 words. Paragraphs should focus on only one topic.
Standardize format
Include short summaries
Include examples (sample code, etc)
Break down complex processes into steps
Use consistent terminology
Take the simplest route:
- e.g. suggest Gadgets instead of editing user css/js, RefToolbar instead of hand-coding citations
Avoid overlinking

Make navigation clear and apparent

Chart the most common pathways and make them easy to find

Write a short and clear lede and/or {{nutshell}} summary
Note when there is a simpler overview--or a more technical help article--available
Guide users through an obvious progression of where to go next
Use the appropriate namespace
- Policies, guidelines, and processes firmly belong in the Wikipedia: namespace,
- Instructions, how-to's, tutorials and explanations of MediaWiki features should be in the Help: namespace

Design Help pages to be visually appealing

Entice users with clear design

Break pages into sections and subsections
Illustrate articles with rich media
- Screenshots (high quality .png, not .jpeg)
- Screencasts (videos)
Don't break accessibility
- Images should have alt text
- Tables should have sensible headings and captions where appropriate
Use templates such as {{notice}}, {{caution}} where appropriate

Target help pages to different levels of experience

Make overviews that address the most common problems with the most effective solutions

Craft intro articles that are simple, short, and not overwhelming
- Link to terms that have not been introduced before
- Link to the least complex technical page available
Separate and minimize advanced and highly-specific use cases
- Use footnotes for extra, non-essential information
Wrap large blocks of code, examples, and rare cases in a {{Collapse}} box

Wikipedia:Help Project/Guidelines

See also

External links