Determine what topics will become paragraphs by adding the section numbers. Determine what topics will become sub-paragraphs by adding the subsection numbers. Step 5 Create Meaningful Headings Each topic in the user manual gets its own heading. So, Philip has just created the sub- titles for his topics. I asked Philip to redirect his headings and to take notice of the following general guidelines: Use the structure as shown above for the first, second and third level heading.
Make sure the headings are self-explanatory. Make sure that the heading covers the full topic. If the section covers the maintenance and repair of a product, the heading Maintenance would be incomplete. If possible, try to omit articles at the beginning of headings Action: Write new headings for your ToC entries. Step 6 Determine the Legal Content Dependent on the market where your product is placed in or put into service, and dependent on the product group your product belongs to, specific legislation applies to your product.
How to Create Compliant Manuals for the EU How to Create Compliant Manuals for the US Philip didn't need to conduct these steps, as the template he used already contained the legal content as required by the relevant directives.
The user manual should describe the intended use of the product. The user manual should describe the reasonably foreseen unintended use of the product. If applicable, non-compliance in residential areas should be mentioned. If the product is too small this can be placed in the user manual. The name, registered trade name or registered trademark and the postal address should be mentioned on the product.
A risk analysis should be conducted to determine the residual risks related to the use of the product. Safety information shall be provided in order to inform the user of measures to be taken.
WEEE information shall be included Information on packaging waste shall be included. The user manual template complies with this standard. Study the IEC checklist to ensure your manual complies with the standard. Action: To adjust the user manual template: If you want to work with the free template: Download the free user manual template Word or Change the section headings according to your own ToC.
Do not adjust the Table of Contents. The table of contents can be updated automatically once you have adjusted the section headings. Add the mandatory content as determined in step 6 of your manual. If applicable, modify sections and the appendices according to your own needs. The international standard for user instructions, the IEC , provides the following definition for the intended use: An exhaustive range of functions or foreseen applications defined and designed by the supplier of the product By describing the intended use you determine the safe envelope of the product.
Action: write the intended use and the reasonably foreseeable misuse of your product. Write the safety warnings based on the risk analysis Even though the intended use has now been clearly defined, this does not mean that using a product is completely without any risks.
According to this method, there is the following hierarchy of risk-reducing measures: Inherently safe design measures Safeguarding and complementary protective measures Information for use This means that the user guide should warn of any residual risks related to the use of the product.
BUY NOW A good safety warning describes the nature of a hazardous situation, the consequences of not avoiding a hazardous situation and the method s for avoiding it. In the first part of the specific section: Embedded in a procedure: 1.
In the Preface any supplemental directives can be placed, such as Read all instructions before use or Keep these instructions for future reference can be placed in the introduction of a user manual. In order to help Philip create and place a safety message, I have created another template. Create all other content Now I asked Philip to create all other content, such as the procedures, technical specs and legal information.
I gave the following tips: Exclude unnecessary material to avoid information overload for example sales promotion, extensive repetition etc. Make sure terms are familiar to the user, technical features and terms are well explained and use terms consistently. Describe any prerequisites that should be met before the actual instructions start. This may also be describing special tools or space for maintenance and repair.
Provide conceptual information when information is necessary for adequate understanding and execution of tasks. Always write topic based. Use a bold typeface for all product elements. Use a style guide to help you write and format documentation in a clearer way. Indicate when you want to add an image for better understanding later. Make sure words and phrases are not too complicated or over-sophisticated. Use the direct active voice and assertive commands. Use words like nouns and verbs consistently to avoid ambiguity.
Action: create all other content for your user manual. Place the safety warnings in the right position When using the template for crafting the safety messages, I asked Philip to indicate whether a safety message is a supplemental directive, or should be placed as a grouped, section or embedded safety message.
Now all text has been created, the safety messages can be placed in the right place. Action: place all safety messages in the right location in the user manual. Step 9 Add Navigation to Your User Manual Template A user manual should give assistance to people by providing information about how to use a product. Action: Add or update your table of contents, page numbering and index. Step 10 Have Your User Manual Reviewed Philip has now created the draft version of his user manual, using the user manual template.
Step 11 Create the Images Once the user manual has been reviewed and optimized, the texts are more or less definite. There are many great tools that can help you create your images, such as: Snagit or Adobe Photoshop for editing screenshots or photos Solidworks Composer or Google Sketchup for creating line drawings Lucidchart or Microsoft Visio for diagrams and schematics I advised Philip not to use photos as a cheap alternative for illustrations.
For that reason, Philip used Google Sketchup to create his illustrations. Action: Create the images for your user manual. If you want to know more about creating images: Using text, images or video Creating IKEA-ish manuals Step 12 Final Check of the User Manual Template Before we start making it look nice and translate the content, we want to be sure that the content is complete.
In order to do so, I asked Philip to use a checklist. I created this template in Indesign and asked Philip to adjust it to match his brand identity. Step 15 Translate and Publish your User Manuals Depending on the market in which you are going to sell your product, you might need to translate the user manual. Some general tips: Look for a translator with similar experience. This could be a translator who is experienced in translating technical content, with similar products or with translating user manuals.
If you need to translate to several languages, working with a translation agency might save you lots of time. Ask the translator or agency about their quality procedures and who is going to revise the text after translation. As you know your product best and who your audience is, it might be a good idea to provide the translator or agency a glossary or a list with the terminology that you want to use. What is a user guide? Otherwise referred to as a user manual, a user guide is a technical document with a quite specific purpose: to help non-technical people pinpoint and solve problems without expert assistance.
Usually, they are written by technical writers, but project managers, product developers, and technical staff are oftentimes allocated with this task as well. When set to explain complex technical products and offer instructions for complicated operational tasks, user guide writers use knowledge base software systems that smart companies leverage for storing and organizing their intelligence.
When it comes to managing technical knowledge, they are extremely helpful. Why are they important? After all, the digital age promotes intuitive technology and smart devices exactly because people want to use them without any unnecessary effort.
Consequently, user guides are a significant aspect for every IT developer, and a much-needed addition to their customer services. Be it that a confusing printer out-of-ink message or a suspicious PS noise, common technical problems should be possible to solve on the spot, since time is of the essence for each and every one of us.
In simpler words, user guides are here to help you deal with customer frustration simply by giving them the means to identify, understand, and untangle frequent technical problems by themselves.
At the same time, manuals that are helpful, coherently written, and easy to read and follow make customers feel appreciated and contribute to their satisfaction, however complex the product might be. How to write a helpful user guide? It goes without saying that user guides are not easy to write, and that applies to both technical writers and programmers. While the former need a complete understanding of the product, the science that lies behind it, and the problems that typically occur, the latter often have difficulties transcribing programming languages in plain words.
Place them on the page so readers can clearly see what part of the written instructions correlate to each image. Once the main part of the instruction manual the actual instructions has been written, focus your attention on crafting the other sections of the topic.
User manuals need to be brief and detailed. Whatever sections are included, they should be written in a technical writing style that focuses on conveying maximum information in as few words as possible.
Being wordy just to add content and to make the manual longer is never recommended. If a procedure can be answered in just a few sentences then it is best to leave it that way. Be brief by getting to the point and answering all important items that need to be addressed.
State the details, but make every word count. Too many words can cause information overload. Make sure that all of the information in the user manual is accurate. There is no room for error in user manuals. While accuracy is important with all kinds of writing, it is truly critical when writing a user manual. The instructions absolutely have to clearly convey how to use a particular piece of equipment or follow a specific procedure.
Check everything for accuracy, including all of the terminology, the order of the steps, and the clarity of the language. Proofread carefully to make sure your document is free of all kinds of errors, including spelling, punctuation and grammar. Typographical mistakes and other errors could cause reader confusion. Customers who are intimidated by your user materials are far more likely to call your support team for help than they are to try to solve their questions on their own. Visual content, including images, annotated screenshots, graphics, and videos, quickly shows someone how your product works.
Recent research from TechSmith shows that people actually absorb visual information faster and perform tasks better when instructions are provided with visual or video content.
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. Popular ways of including visual content in user documentation include screenshots , screen recordings , tutorial videos , and more.
Have you heard of simplified graphics? Sometimes called simplified user interface or SUI , simplified graphics take images of a user interface or other graphic and — just as the name suggests — simplifies them.
Like this one from G Suite Learning Center:. Every product solves a problem. Naturally, this will involve product features, but do so in the context of helping the user get to the reason they bought your product in the first place — to solve a specific problem. 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.
Good documentation needs a hierarchy of headings and subheadings that lets a user know what each section will show them. And that hierarchy should follow a logical flow that helps the user learn to use your product in the most helpful way. Start with the easy stuff first and then, as your users build their knowledge, show them the advanced features. A table of contents provides your customers a simple, efficient, and familiar way to quickly find a solution to their question or problem.
It should include all the major headings and subheadings as described above. There was a time when most user documentation was printed. Now, in an era where just about everyone has access to a smartphone, it makes more sense to create electronic documentation.
Like a table of contents, searchable content gives users easier access to your content and helps them find solutions on their own. Create accessible content. 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.
Remember, many of your customers need this to understand and fully access your user documentation. Design materials with your customers in mind.
Make it usable and friendly. Avoid long paragraphs of text or pages that are packed too full of content. Allow for white space to help break up the monotony and make the prospect of learning a new product less daunting. Include graphics and images as much as possible to show rather than tell your customers how to use your product.
For electronic documentation, use video and gifs.
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