nUse ample top and left margins to improve legibility in Help topics by separating Help from other images on the screen.When laying out visual elements, the more white space you place around an element, the more importance it has visually. Adding more white space between elements separates them in a visual organization. Less white space between elements groups them together.
Indents are less effective in online than in print documentation, and so are used less frequently. (When we refer to indents here, we mean variations from the left margin in the built Help file, not the paragraph formatting devices called “Indentation” that we use to create left margins, two-column lists, and text wrapping in numbered and bulleted lists.)
Note:
An 8-pixel left margin is built into the Help application. We recommend that Help authors add an additional 0.8 inches. (This 0.8" has been added to the styles in the Help Authoring Templates.)
nUse ample top and left margins to improve legibility in Help topics by separating Help from other images on the screen.
nUse a consistent left margin. It enhances the general legibility that is so important for online presentation and unifies a body of information.
nAvoid using indents online (except the indent necessary to wrap text in numbered and bulleted lists).
Indenting works best when you can see a whole page (as in printed books). It visually structures the hierarchy of information. Online, indenting loses its context, especially in a small Help window. In addition, indents can give the impression that the left margin is constantly changing when you scroll through a long topic or jump to another topic.
If it’s absolutely necessary to use an additional indent, align it with the left margin of text in a numbered or bulleted list. Do not use more than two indents.
nUse minimal white space between items you want to group. Use more white space between items you want separate.
nOvercrowding Help topics compromises their legibility. Before reducing margins or removing white space to fit more text into a topic, consider reorganizing the information into smaller chunks or accepting more scrolling.
nUse solutions such as space between paragraphs for organizing topics visually and pop-up windows for subordinating information to compensate for the loss of indents as a layout option.
nIf plain text follows a nonscrolling region, consider adding 6 points above the text to separate it visually from the nonscrolling region visually.