how to write a user guide

If so, where will it live? Even for advanced readers, simple language leads to faster processing and better comprehension. Make your documentation accessible, useful, make it visual. Who has final approval? Always identify the target audience first and then document the manual as per them. Depending on your audience, you may need to use a larger font. Do an audience analysis. Two pibbles: Biggie and Reo, There is no room for error in user manuals. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. If you do rotate the object, include a statement such as "Flip the device" or "Rotate the device 90 degrees clockwise" to help the reader do the same. It’s about the why, not just the how. A user guide is only great if it helps your customers use your product to the best of their ability. For example, our Camtasia and Snagit tutorials (yes, tutorial videos can be a form of documentation) highlight specific features, but they do so in the context of why someone might use that feature. If you want them to shout to the world about how much they love your products and services, providing awesome user documentation is an essential part of that post-purchase experience. If you have a product that can perform many different tasks or sub-tasks, you will need to perform a task analysis on each task. Too many words can cause information overload. Write the documentation in an easy-to-read way. Now, in an era where just about everyone has access to a smartphone, it makes more sense to create electronic documentation. If cleaning requires some disassembly of the product, or removal of a certain part or parts, be sure to include details on how to disassemble. Writing a user manual is a big responsibility because the finished document will be used by people who are depending on it to provide them with instructions they can follow. Try the Hemingway App (www.hemmingwayapp.com) to identify passive passages in your writing. Also, it’s simply easier to make electronic documentation accessible for people with disabilities. Allow for white space to help break up the monotony and make the prospect of learning a new product less daunting. Choose one and stick with it. Visual content also helps break up long blocks of text and can help eliminate a lot of the text that can make many user guides or manuals feel intimidating and unpleasant. Decide on your structure. The introduction of a user manual usually begins with a message of appreciation to users for selecting the product and a general product overview. Once you’ve answered all the questions and made all of the decisions outlined above, it’s time to create your user documentation. Create step-by-step guides with a simple and professional look. Video games come with … And, user documentation isn’t just for new users. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Give them documentation that continues to delight them and provides the kind of customer experience you’d want to have. It showed me the progress and it was so clear. Plus, the Combine Images Tool enables you to combine individual screenshots and other images into a single image for easier editing and mark up. ), In what order should we present the information? Don’t assume your customer knows anything about your product. You could include these videos either at the beginning of this section, or (in the case of videos that illustrate only one step) at the end of each step. In the past, user documentation was given via a help file that was local to the user’s machine or a physical manual or booklet. The instructions absolutely have to clearly convey how to use a particular piece of equipment or follow a specific procedure. This means ensuring that electronic documentation adheres to standards of accessibility for people who may be blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or may have cognitive disabilities. (Hint: This is where user feedback can be REALLY helpful! There was a time when most user documentation was printed. Give your users a document they want to look at and they’ll be more likely to use it. Understanding who your audience is can be half the battle when writing a user manual. People learn in different ways; if possible and appropriate include visual aides or links to online videos in the manual to assist visual learners.

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