I think that this section on HELP systems is very interesting and useful to anyone in design work. When we think of help systems I think it's completely normal for people to immediately recall some specific help systems that have made an impression on them. That being said I do believe that when help systems are done "right", they can be beneficial but there are times when they can be very distracting. Saying that help systems are a substitute for good design is too aggressive. Good design is obvious and there are cases that obvious design comes with help options. Not every good design has help systems and help systems don't guarantee a good design but they are a good building block. The writer ended it best saying "...a little well-designed and well-written help can go a long way".
When I thought of specific personas that our group could focus on for project five, a few stuck out in my mind. First is the obvious dire hard fan. This person is the one that routinely contributes to online forums and conversation about superheros and never hesitates to criticize/critique a new addition to the superhero's world. The second persona that comes to mind is the not so involved fan. This person knows of the superhero and may have sought of the occasional big motion picture of this hero but doesn't let it hold any significance into their own personal lives.
The concept of help systems is definitely interesting and you are correct in saying that a well-designed on can be beneficial. There are numerous cases of help systems that appear to be just a fallback option though and many help systems need to be improved in order to work.
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