Note: Currently, all I can provide is the following notes on this topic. As soon as possible, I'll develop this in a full chapter. In the meantime, if you have any questions on this topic, contact me at hcexres@io.com. -- David A. McMurreyA user guide is essentially a book-length document containing instructions on installing, using, or troubleshooting a hardware or software product. A user guide can be very briefùfor example, only 10 or 20 pages or it can a full-length book of 200 pages or more. While this definition assumes computers, a user guide can provide operating instructions on practically anythingùlawnmowers, microwave ovens, dishwashers, and so on.
As a set of instructions, a user guide should use the style and format that is presented elsewhere in this online textbook:
- HeadingsùUse headings to mark off key contents of the information so that readers can find it quickly.
- ListsùUse numbered and bulleted lists to help readers scan information quickly.
- Special noticesùUse special notices such as warnings, cautions, and notes to alert readers to potential problems or emphasize special points.
- Instructional designùIn general, use the standard design of instructions; primarily, this means task-oriented headings and sections and numbered vertical lists for actual steps that readers are to perform.
Instructionsùand therefore user guidesùalso make abundant use of:
- GraphicsùShow readers key components of the objects they will be working with, before and after views, and illustrations of key actions that readers must perform.
- TablesùProvide statistical information and other such details in easy-to-access table form.
- HighlightingùUse a consistent and standard scheme of highlighting (bold, italics, alternate fonts, color, caps, and so on).
As a book, a user guide must have some combination of the standard book-design components such as the following:
- Front and back covers
- Title page
- Edition notice
- Trademarks
- Disclaimers
- Warranties
- Safety notices
- Preface
- Appendixes
- Index
- Reader-comment form
There is no standard combination or sequence of these elements; every company does it differently. Details on the contents, format, and design of these elements can be found in the book-design chapter.
An important part of user guidesùin fact, of almost any technical documentùis the process that produces it:
- Documentation proposalùIf you are working freelance or as part of an independent documentation firm, you may have to write a proposal in an effort to win a contract to do a certain technical documentation project.
- Documentation planùUser guides need documentation plans, which are internal supporting documents that specify content, audience, design, format, production team members, schedule, and such information about a documentation project and its "deliverables." The documentation plan resembles the documentation proposal in certain ways, but the plan represents an established plan agreed upon by everybody involved in the production process (and that means both the user guide and the product it documents).
- Prototype and specificationsùImportant planning tools, which also serve as useful reference tools during a documentation project, include the prototype of the user guide and the specifications for the user guide. The prototype is a dummy version of the book with all planned components of the book (see the list on book-design components) and all planned elements (see the list under format and style). However, the prototype uses "greeked" text like the following, instead of real text:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullam corper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan. Typically, the prototype of the user guide is very brief: it needs to include only as many pages as it takes to illustrate every unique textual component and textual elements that will be used in the user guide.
Specifications are descriptions of a book design in table form. Specifications describe every unique component or element of a book, so that it can be recreated by someone who might not have access to the electronic files, templates or styles of that book.
- Template and style catalogùA well-designed user guide, and a well-designed process to produce that user guide, should include templates and style catalogs. A template is an electronic file that defines such aspects of the user guide as page size, headers and footers, page-numbering style, regular and special page layout, and other such detail.
A style catalog is also an electronic thing that defines the format and style of textual elements such as headings, headers, footers, lists, paragraphs, tables, and so on. For example, a style for a "heading 1" might specify 24-point Arial bold with 24 picas above and 12 picas below. Styles help you create a user guide more efficiently; styles also help you maintain consistency in the format and style of that user guide.
- Multiple review drafts & sign-offùA good process for the production of a user guide also includes several drafts that editors, technical experts, usability testers, and documentation team members can review and provide comments on. You as writer then implement those comments and produce a new draft for these same people to review again. When everybody is satisfied with the draft of the user guide (or worn out or out of time), they sign off on the user guide, and it can then go into "production," which means producing the finished bound copies.
As you can see, a user guide brings together many of the topics covered in this online textbook. If you are taking a technical writing course, you probably cannot implement all these features and phases of a user guide. Get with your instructor to see which are required.
Return to the table of contents for the Online Technical Writing Course Guide (the online textbook for online technical communication courses at Austin Community College and other institutions worldwide).
This information is provided and maintained by David A. McMurrey. For information on use, customization, or copies, e-mail hcexres@io.com.