What is contextual help?
Contextual help is assistance tailored to what a user is trying to do, such as a hint beside a form field or instructions for a task. It uses information about the task, account, or user role to make the help relevant.
Different types of contextual help
A date field can explain which timezone it uses. An empty state can show how to create the first report. A help panel can open an article about the integration being configured. An assistant can explain which permissions a teammate needs to finish a task.
Each example uses context to narrow the answer. A help center article can also be contextual when the product links to it from the relevant workflow.
What context adds
Context can explain why the same action behaves differently for two people. For example, an export option might require a paid plan, an administrator role, or a completed data import. Useful help identifies the applicable requirement and explains what to do next.
That requires accurate information. A user's role or plan alone may not explain a failed export, so the help should leave room for a follow-up question or support request.
Maintaining contextual help
Hints and help panels need review when labels, permissions, or workflows change. An assistant also needs current product knowledge and any policies that are not visible in the interface.
Choose the format for the question. A short field hint can explain a date format; a setup task may need several instructions and a way to ask questions.
How Frigade fits
Frigade Assistant learns product workflows by using them and combines that knowledge with documentation and guidance from your team. It can answer questions and guide users through a task. Our guide to deflecting support tickets covers how to review the questions users need help with.
Common questions
- What is the difference between contextual help and in-app guidance?
- Contextual help describes how assistance relates to a user’s situation. In-app guidance describes where it appears. A help panel inside a product is contextual when it offers information relevant to the task; a general help menu is in-app guidance without that tailoring.
- How do you add contextual help to a SaaS product?
- Add hints to fields that need explanation, link to relevant articles from the workflows they cover, or offer an assistant that can answer task-specific questions. Decide which account details and user properties the help needs, and review it when those workflows change.