User guides are written to explain the user in simplified terms how to use the software. These guides are accompanied with other documentations such as System Administration Guides and other related material. They are the first 'port of call' when something needs to be read. People tend to read these in hurry as they get frustrated and begin to loose patience with the software. So while writing the guide, this point must be kept note of.
User guides are generally written for the users who do not have a technical bent of mind. It is different from a System Administration Guide as the level of content and terminology is not very detailed and complex as in the case of the latter.
Technical user guides should provide the users with necessary details like the end-user application. The Administrator Guide should provide with vital details on installation and configuration and the Developer Guide should provide information on enhancement and extension. All this information can be enclosed in one single guidebook depending upon the importance of these in the main document.
Following are a few general guidelines and necessities to produce a user guide:
Identifying your audience - The real power of a website rests in its ability to provide information that the company has to the people who need it. If you want to make the website effective, then it is always advisable to direct the website towards the target audience.
Writing sections - The user document should be written in a style that is understood by the users. The language should not be very difficult but simple and effective.
Production standards - Content models and production standards exist independently.
The most obvious guidelines in the guidebook are stepwise directions on how to assemble the product and how to use it. It must contain information on all the steps that the user must perform while installing the software and it must be task oriented. The guide should be specific and explanatory. Bulleting should be done in vertical form to explain the user sequentially how to use the product. Similar or related information should be put together in one chapter.
To avail more information about technical content writing services log on to the website: http://www.rncos.com.
RNCOS E-Services Pvt. Ltd. is an industry leader in the field of online business research. We specialize in industry research on various business verticals. To read our market research reports, visit us at our website: - http://www.rncos.com or email us at info@rncos.com.
Do you design documentation for your product, and want to make your manual more appealing to end users? Are you tired of re-shooting screenshots with every minor software update? Would you like to make help files that not only look better, but are actually more useable? Try Icons for Technical Writers, a simple way to enhance your electronic and printed manuals!
The traditional approach to making a user guide involves taking multiple screen shots, drawing lines and circles and writing text commentary about what the user has to do to achieve a certain goal. While not a bad approach per se, it does put some apparent limitations on your readers and you, the writer.
The reader has to scroll through multiple screenshots, locate the controls on the pictures, and match them with the text commentary. That's not the fastest way to learn about a simple action, let alone a series of actions.
The writer must make all these screenshots, and keep them up to date with every software update, which can be quite time-consuming. Highlighting the necessary controls on pictures takes even more time. Finally, the resulting document grows so big that it no longer fits on a single page, thus reducing its usability even further.
LuckyIcon Art solves all these issues by introducing an innovative approach to laying out technical documentation. The company offers a completely new layout and fresh look to your guides and manuals with a set of graphical icons that significantly enhance end-user experience with your help system and your software, while reducing the time needed to create the documentation and keep it up to date.
Instead of using a screenshot, highlighting controls and putting text commentary about what the user has to do, you can simply put an icon representing a specific action, such as selecting a menu or clicking a button on a dialog window, and name the control. In this case, a single picture is worth a thousand words:
As you can see, all the unnecessary material is gone. No need for screenshots, no need for "Click this button" or "Check that box". Instead, better perception and less confusion. Lucky Icon Art thoroughly tested the visual perception of multiple sets of icons against a large group of target users, only selecting the icons with the very best acceptance and performance among the users.
If you are making a printed manual, in addition to the online version, the Icons for Technical Writers are available in high resolution 300 dpi to make your booklet or manual look as attractive on paper as it is on the screen.
Being a technical writer and a software developer myself, I can recommend this approach wholeheartedly. It does what it claims to do: it removes visual clutter from the manuals and saves time when designing technical documentation.
I highly recommend this approach and the particular icon set as a method to enhance user perception of technical documentation. I have recommended this set to our team leader to use with our own project. For more information, and to get your free demo of Icons for Technical Writers, visit:
Both James Marriot & Olga Zorina are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
James Marriot has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, computers and the internet and Information Technology. RNCOS E-Services Pvt. Ltd. offers complete e-publishing solutions for your business. We provide personalized world-class content development and management solutions that are qualitative and result-oriented.. James Marriot's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.
Olga Zorina has sinced written about articles on various topics from Outsourcing. Olga Zorina ? the editor of an electronic magazine Bajena since 2004, author of more than 300 articles for Internet publications and printed magazines.. Olga Zorina's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.