Scripting an Efficient User Manual

User manuals are written guidebook to understand the uniqueness and functionality of a particular device or software. The manual can be either a hard copy or an electronic document in the form of (XPS or PDF) format. Quality user manuals will educate its readers about the product's features while teaching them how to use those features effectively and are laid out to be easily read and referred to. Following are the guidelines to be kept in mind for technical writer while documenting the user manual or designing the layout of a user manual.

First Impression:

Most of the users never bother to read the user manuals. Generally, it is kept aside and considered difficult to deal with. The consequences of this are, both the product and the user suffers. Keeping this in mind, the user manuals must make a strong and positive first impression. The guidelines which would help the technical writers to create an impression are listed below:

• Avoid a text-book look (landscape formatting can be less threatening).
• Make purposeful and effective use of color.
• The user manual should not be too lengthy.
• Make effective use of pictures or screenshots
• Maintain the consistency of the manual by using common font for the documentation.

Enhancing Findability:

Generally, user gets frustrated when they need to search for a specific topic in the user manual. Often this is due to the fact that the key words the writer has used are not the key words that users may search for. Here are some guidelines that will help users will easily find what they are looking for.

• Organize information hierarchically
• Divide the manual into appropriate parts.
• Denote importance by using different colors as per importance etc.
• Provide a key word index using the terminology of the user.
• Provide a glossary of technical terms.
• Make the quick start guide readily accessible.

Including Links to related Articles:

When you refer to another part of the manual, it is always advised to include a link to the related article for the convenience of the users. Otherwise, end users would waste time or might get frustrated by searching for what you just in the later part of the manual

Show the steps and substeps:

Writer should always include step numbers or bullets to make the understanding of the user more transparent as it becomes easier for the users to follow the context written in the manual. Writer can also take advantage of sub-steps to make the documentation easier to follow.

Unique URLs for each article:

This makes it really easy for user to respond to questions with links to the documentation. 

For Example:-If the user clicks on this URL- http://timelive.livetecs.com/Employee/AccountEmployeeTimeEntryPeriodList.aspx?AccountEmployeeId=50780&ViewType=PeriodView 

user would be taken to the exact article that user need to answer the question about how to create a campaign target list.

With a unique URL, user can even respond in email, in the communities, etc. sending its end users to the exact answer they are looking for.

Documentation Don’ts:

• Don’t write unnecessary information in the user manual and treat the manual like the kitchen sink.
• Focus on a particular Domain, and do not specify multiple goals in a single manual. 
• Don’t use jargon, slang or ambiguous sentences phrases or sentences.
• Don’t be vague and be as much precise as possible. 
• Don’t use those abbreviations those are not accepted widely.
• Do not give excuses like “This is done because…..”.

Conclusion:

If the technical writer establishes a workflow which ensures that the documentation is clear and unambiguous. Manual is easily delivered to the customer. Once the user gets its documentation off the bench and comes into act the customer will be amazed that how it helps in business.

About Author:
Naman Kharbanda is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, he actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. He can be contacted at: naman.kharbanda@spluspl.com