Project Description

Nissan developed an electronic system, termed ASIST, that combined all written technical documentation, repair bulletins, and notices for Service Repair Technicians onto one CD ROM. The ASIST system took Nissan from a paper- to an electronic-based information system for accessing vehicle repair and maintenance information.

Prior to ASIST, Service Repair Technicians had to search through several paper-based sources of information. With ASIST they could search for information simply by looking up the vehicle model and year. Repair and maintenance information appeared online. The system also enabled a technician to upload data directly from a vehicle into handheld devices and then send that data directly to the Nissan technical Help Desk for further analysis.

IDA’s Role: To develop a graphical online help system, including an online demonstration of the system’s use.

In developing the context-sensitive online help IDA had to consider the following:

• The online help had to delivered with graphics, images, and text and without audio due to the noise levels in a repair shop
• Interactivity had to be kept to a minimum

To meet these requirements IDA designed a completely visually reliant system, without audio. Pop-up menus were used to display topics for each on-screen button and each topic fit on a single page to avoid scrolling and reduce the technician’s interactivity with the system.

Online demonstration:

IDA followed the same methodology as with the online help. The demonstration could be launched from any screen in the online help system and was self-running, as required. Numerous end-user tests were performed to determine the best pacing for the demonstration.

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