The history of quick reference content
Quick reference content, for the most part, started out as physical “cards”.
Before the turn of the century, many people who worked with computers had laminated cards propped up against their “terminals”, typically above the function keys. These “cards,” which came in a variety of shapes and sizes, usually contained all the arcane key combinations needed to perform equally arcane functions on their company’s computer systems.
For less well-to-do companies, quick reference content took the form of pages ripped (in disgust) from large, hardcopy computer manuals and taped haphazardly to the sides of employees’ monitors. And these often came to be replaced by sticky notes. In fact you probably have some taped to your monitor right now.
In other work settings, for example, at manufacturing locations, this type of information was stuck on the wall and ...