How To Write a User Manual: Basic Principles
What Is a User Manual?
User manuals or guides are comprehensive documents that provide step-by-step instructions on how to use a product or software. And I know that's a totally boring definition.
Why Write a User Manual?
If you're like most people, you throw user manuals out the window (or elsewhere). The men in my family in particular like to ignore user manuals. They only use them when everything else fails (meaning their pre-existing attempts to fix or run something). So, sometimes your manual can help. Plus, you are legally required to create and distribute user manuals for your product.
How To Write a User Manual?
- Plain language:
Don't frustrate your customers with complicated language and jargon. This can make your user guide difficult to use. Make sure you are writing for the end user, not the developer (unless you are writing a user guide designed for developers, but let's work with the idea of an end-user guide for the moment). Imagine that your customers are the laymen. Don't assume they know all the jargon, acronyms, and slang used in the area of interest. Don't make your customer feel confused, frustrated, or worse, like an idiot.
- Simplicity:
you should aim for simplicity in content and design. Again, don't make the content and visuals complex and therefore frustrating for end users.
- Visuals such as images, videos, screenshots
can help users understand what you are describing. You can use various tools such as Snagit to take screenshots, and Visio to create flowcharts, and there are lots of tools (both paid and free) for playing with images and videos.
- Focus on solving the problem:
The product was probably purchased to solve someone's problem. If this is the case, put the user guide in this context. Your customers will love you. Nah, I'm kidding, they won't care.
- Be logical in your structure:
You should start from the basics and progress to more complex features. Use a hierarchical structure of headings and subheadings to help users navigate through the sections of the manual. The structure should be logical and guide customers through the document. Also, use a table of contents to help navigate the text. Customers will not read the manual like a Dostoevsky novel, i.e. from beginning to end.
- Choose a template:
If you have one. Of course, you can be creative and create your own (this probably won't work in a corporate environment where there are templates for everything).
- Test the manual:
if you have users to test it on, do so. And then you can start again ;-)