Essentials courseware is anchored in the practical and professional needs of all types of students. The series has been completely revamped as the result of extensive usability testing conducted by students with multiple levels of computer knowledge.

The Essentials series is conceived as a “learning system” that combines graphics, instructions, experience, reinforcement, and problem solving. It consists of modular lessons that are built around a series of numbered, step-by-step procedures that are clear, concise, and easy to review. Explanatory material is interwoven before each lesson and between the steps.

Additional features, tips, pitfalls, and other related information are provided at exactly the right place. They are easily recognizable elements that stand out from the main flow of the tutorial. Icons are designed to match the Microsoft Office theme.

The end-of-chapter exercises have been carefully graded from the routine Checking Concepts and Terms to tasks in the Discovery Zone that gently prod students into extending what they've learned into areas beyond the explicit scope of the lessons proper.