Tips for Writing User Manuals by George Herrera

People often rely on user manuals to learn about an application or system. The biggest complaint from users of new IT systems and applications are the comprehensibility of their user guides/manuals. As stated in Klariti.com: “When writing a User Guide, use simple language with short sentences.” Be sure to identify your audience before writing your manual. I am going to show you the basic outline of a user manual.

Klariti.com breaks down the separate components that the user manual should consist of:

-Front page

-Cover and title page

-Copywrite and name of company

-Disclaimer

-Preface

-Contents

-Body - The body should have the procedures separate from the references.

-Glossary

-Index

Procedures help users understand how to carry out a certain process. When writing procedures, be sure to break them down into tasks and even further into subtasks. Give all possible outcomes and remember to use clear and simple diction. Be sure to include diagrams for the more in-depth instructions or tutorials.

Reference material gives detailed information on a topic. According to Klariti.com,

“Reference materials can include:

• Program options, for example, different menus and buttons that are presented to the user
  
• Keyboard options, for example, hold AltGr and 4 to show the Euro symbol


• Error messages that may arise when you use the application


• Troubleshooting tips to resolve these issues
  
• Frequently asked questions that the user may have about the software”

Now that you have the basics on composing your own user manuals, you should feel confident that you can reach out and teach any user a specific application or system. Start with something small to get the overall feel for writing manuals. Who knows? With a little bit of practice, you may be the mastermind behind all of the technical writing manuals for Microsoft!

References

User Guide Tutorial . 2008. 5 April 2009. http://www.klariti.com/technical-writing/User-Guides-Tutorial.shtml.