Providing help and guidance on how to use a webpage is beneficial to everyone. This is particularly important for forms and other interactive controls. Whilst such components may seem clear and intuitive to the developer, they may be baffling to a user. Context-sensitive help provides users with assistance at the specific point they need it, for example when completing a particular form field.
Providing context-sensitive help may be as simple as adding explanatory text next to a form field describing what kind of input is required or any additional information that the user may need. If the help information is more detailed, then a link to a separate webpage could be included next to the form field. Furthermore, by opening the link in a new window or tab, this will allow users to get help without losing any information they have already inputted into the form.
//A section of a form with context-sensitive help
<label for="house_number">House Number (HELP: Please enter the number or name of your address)</label>
<input type="text" size="30" value="" name="house_number" title="House Number" tabindex="2">
<label for="street">Street (HELP: Please enter the street on which you live)</label>
<input type="text" size="30" value="" name="street" title="Street" tabindex="3">
<label for="postcode">Postcode (HELP: Please enter your postcode, with any spaces included, e.g. HU1 3NQ)</label>
<input type="text" size="30" value="" name="postcode" title="Postcode" tabindex="1">