Sample user guide for software

The table of contents should also include all the major headings and subheadings of the document. There is a major benefit to creating electronic, interactive user manuals that live online. Users can search such documents and find and access them quickly. In many cases, they can skip the table of contents altogether, although you should retain it in the document for others who prefer to find advice this way.

Nobody enjoys unreadable pages crammed with small text and product diagrams that you can hardly see. If you make the design clear and engaging, users are more likely to get value from the documentation.

Following these simple rules will yield user documentation that resembles your brand and looks nice and familiar to customers. End the user manual with a list of additional resources to assist a customer, should they need such information. Got it. Why Stonly? Use cases. Solutions Self-serve support. Product adoption. Support agent performance.

How it works. Knowledge Base. Stonly Widget. Customer knowledge base. Add guides to your KB. Chatbot alternative. Custom contact forms. NPS survey. Otherwise, continue on. If you want to create an Interactive Conversation Flow like the one above and the one below, check out ScreenSteps. Here's another example of the same type of article, but this one is meant for customers to use as self-service click on one of the options to go through the procedure.

These articles come in very handy when you want to direct users either employees, customers, or call agents to specific instructions that need to be tailored to a situation. We call them Interactive Conversation Flows because they help call center agents respond to callers in a conversational way and because when customers use them for self-service, they can recreate the conversation a support rep would have to narrow down what needs to be done.

Great end user documentation consists of titles that are specific, and often in the form of performing a task. This not only makes it easier for your end users to find what they are looking for, but it helps you write better articles. For example, think about how much time it would take to write an article titled "Contacts.

So you create an outline of all the "Contacts" topics you can think of, take screenshots of the Contacts object, explain all of the menu options, and write a history of the Contacts object - all useless to an end user who just wants to know how to create a partner contact in Salesforce. Instead of going right to the information they need, end users will have to sift through all of the other stuff to find an answer.

If each article has its own, great title, then your end users can quickly answer their own questions by performing a keyword search or by browsing through your table of contents. HubSpot does a great job writing useful titles, and then demonstrating the workflow using pictures, text, and annotations.

To continue the example from above, instead of writing one big article titled "Contacts" just write a dozen little articles that each answer one specific question:. These are so much easier to write, and your end users will find them much more useful because they can quickly search for, and find, answers to their specific questions end users need specifics. Plus, you can always combine a lot of little articles into a larger workflow and organize them into a chapter or a manual.

The majority of end user documentation should have screenshots, and those screenshots should include some sort of annotation. Adding an arrow, a circle, or number sequences can make end user documentation completely dummy proof, and save end users from having to figure out what to do.

Even if it seems obvious to you where to click, including a few simple annotations will go a long way in removing confusion. If you have the budget, the patience, and the time, you can do what Wistia does — create a video explanation, then include step-by-step instructions underneath the video.

This is a great way to do end user documentation. Determine what topics will become chapters by adding chapter numbers.

We will add some more chapters in the next step. 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. For electronic documentation, use video and GIFs. Use consistent fonts and complementary colors across multiple documents. Snagit templates make it incredibly easy to create professional-looking user documentation from a series of screenshots or other images.

Snagit comes with a bunch of free, professionally designed templates, and with TechSmith Assets for Snagit , you get access to a ton more! Learn their pain points and try to address them as best you can. Find out what they tell you is needed to know to best use your products. For electronic user documentation, this can be as simple as providing links to tutorials, FAQs, user forums, and more.

But even print documentation can include things like website addresses and phone numbers for further support. Step-by-step guides help avoid long blocks of text and provide a much clearer way to show a process than trying to explain it via text alone. Snagit provides an easy-to-use Step Tool that helps you create great step-by-step documentation.

Plus, the Combine Images Tool enables you to combine individual screenshots and other images into a single image for easier editing and mark up. Every great set of user documents starts with a plan. Here are some tips on how to get where you want to go.

Many people assume that if you know your product, you can just start creating your documentation. The answers to those questions shape how you create your documentation.

Planning ensures a smooth process and a better user document. Rely on your subject matter experts for the more in-depth knowledge, but you should know how to use it yourself before you try to teach someone else. Will it be print only? Will it be electronic? If so, where will it live? However, unless you have a very good reason, I recommend at least having an electronic version available on your website. A print only version will work for most people, but are you prepared to create a braille version for users who may be blind or visually impaired?

Tools exist to make electronic documentation easier for all to access , but print only versions provide a much more difficult accessibility problem. Instead, make an electronic version available on your website as normal website text. A user guide is only great if it helps your customers use your product to the best of their ability. Before your new creation goes out into the world at large, you want to test it. Here are a few tips! As noted above, this gives electronic documentation a huge advantage over print.