Tip of the month from
PRC
September 1996
Types
of manuals
and some typical problems
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Tip of the month is edited by Peter
Ring, PRC (Peter Ring Consultants, Denmark)
- consultants on how to write
user friendly manuals
The 4 levels and 3 types of
manuals
Basically, there are 4 user levels
for technical documentation:
- The normal end user.
- The super-user.
- The service(wo)man / application
programmer.
- The engineering department.
The 3 first levels are the real
users of manuals (or whatever they are called).
The last level - the engineering
department - only use the documentation to keep record over what they have
done and why. The purpose is typically input to the technical writers of
the user documentation, making it possible to improve the product later on
without disturbing the remaining functions, and making the next designs easier.
For each of the 3 real user
levels there are in principle 3 different type of manuals, with each its
own purpose. For simple products they are often more or less integrated or
unnecessary.
- The guiding and/or tutoring
manual. Purpose: to teach the user how to (install,) use (and deinstall)
the product on the users level. The guide sections aims at guiding the user
through a procedure, but not necessarily remember it, e.g. the installation
procedure. The tutoring sections aims at making the user understand the product
and learn how to use it completely, or guided by the details in the reference
manual(s).
- The reference manual. Purpose:
to give all the details about each function of the product. For a simple
product on the user level it is typically the "What is What" section. For
a complicated product on the service(wo)man level, it typically includes
blueprints, diagrams, partlists, etc.
- The shortform reference
manual. Purpose: to work as a "brain prosthesis" for the user on the most
frequent or normal procedures. Example: How to set a video to start recording
on a certain TV channel at a certain time.
Typical problems with type of
manual
When making a manual, which
integrates two or more of these 9 basic types of real user manuals, I have
often seen some classical problems, you should think about:
- Mixing the user levels in
the same chapter confuses many readers.
- To keep it simple for the
normal end-user, put all simple stuff in one chapter, e.g. "How to use ...",
and put the complicated stuff in another chapter "Advanced use ...". It is
OK to change writing style (readability, use of graphics, cartoons, etc.)
between chapters for normal users and chapters for advanced users. It may
even be a good extra marker for who you are writing for now.
- Keep the non-user service
information in a volume of its own, unless it is very short. If you have
different users for different functions, put them into separate chapters
or volumes! Example: If you have special persons for cleaning, put the cleaning
information in a chapter or volume of its own.
- Think of the reader. Who
are you writing for at this level? Use the "user map", se the
"tip of the month" for January ´96
. It has proven to be very useful, because it relates in a simple way to
acceptable product complexity on the users level, and to readability. If
it is a product for professional use by unskilled labour, think about how
to help the person who are going to train the real user. If you are working
with normal consumers, think about the 10-20% (or more in some countries)
who can't read at all, or only read a few words (functional illiterates).
If you disagree
with these ideas - or have other relevant points or ideas +/-, please
write me
!
Ideas for "Tip of the month" subjects are welcome, too!
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