Many software systems are characterized by a continuous increase of internal and external complexity and are affected by conflicting requirements regarding costs, time and quality. Different types of assistance systems are in use for facilitating the handling of complex software. These systems vary by criteria such as the specific application environment, utilized tools, user type, software system functionality etc. Hereby the addressed users play an important role. Various types of users – experienced, non-experienced, with more or less software and methodology application know-how – need different types of assistance. Consequently, the assistance system has to be tailored for specific user needs. The design of assistance systems, so called “wizards”, which support the analysis, interpretation and handling of complex systems, is the research subject of this paper. The wizards are customized to the specific design and content of a particular application system. The research question stated concentrates on the design methods, processes and their combinations needed to develop a useful and effective user assistance.     «

Many software systems are characterized by a continuous increase of internal and external complexity and are affected by conflicting requirements regarding costs, time and quality. Different types of assistance systems are in use for facilitating the handling of complex software. These systems vary by criteria such as the specific application environment, utilized tools, user type, software system functionality etc. Hereby the addressed users play an important role. Various types of users – expe...     »