Improving the effectiveness of information

One of the main challenges when creating user documentation, is the accessibility of the information. In traditional documentation a hierarchical structure - represented in a table of contents - was the only way of structuring the information. Task topics, concept topics and reference topics had to be mixed up in one overall structure. A good example of this mix of topic types is visible in the following example, taken from the manual for the OPPO DV-983 DVD Player: What you see is a list of possible tasks, which gives the impression of task-based instructions. This is followed by a list of concept topics, that seem to refer to several setup and preference screens. The manual is concluded with reference topics. So we have what seems to be a hierarchical structure with three entry points: task, screen and reference. Is this how our users think? Is this a logical way to structure information? A closer look at the task topics reveals that these are in isolated work instruc