Support and training are provided for a user in operating a software application. A list of task indications are coupled to a GUI window. A graphical overlay is positioned on top of the GUI window and coupled to it. A sequence of instructions associated with a respective task is displayed in the graphical overlay upon selection of a task indication by the user. Each instruction directs attention to a respective selectable graphical area in the GUI window. The user operates a selector coupled to the GUI window, where after selecting a task, the selector is used to select graphical areas in response to the sequence of instructions. Recorded voice files or a text-to-speech synthesizer may be coupled to the sequence of instructions, whereby the instruction being displayed is simultaneously presented audibly to the user. A user's selection of one or more selectable graphical areas in a sequence before his or her selection of a task containing that sequence may result in a list of possible tasks being performed being highlighted automatically. The support and training are well suited for operating a computer controlling a system such as a data communication network, where the tasks displayed in the list of task indications are user-privilege specific.