A training manual is a set of instructions that improve the quality with which a job, process, or task is performed. Companies use training manuals with in-person, remote, on-demand, and just in time training. A few common applications include:. Companies create employee training manuals to increase organizational productivity and ensure everyone has the tools and information necessary to excel at their jobs.
On the flip side, companies and organizations create training manuals that support their customers, too. They teach how to use their products, when certain features come in handy, and demonstrate key workflows. Training manuals for customer education help users get the most out their purchase.
They are a critical resource, and every successful company provides them. The best training manuals are easy to follow, informational guides. They lay out concepts in clear language, using relevant examples and imagery. Done right, a good training manual becomes a trusted resource for employees and managers or customers and clients.
With the right approach, you can quickly go from outline to production, and provide your co-workers or customers, whomever your audience may be, with a helpful, easy to use resource. The first thing when you start working on your training manual is knowing for whom you are writing. To do this, develop a picture of when, where, and how people will access your training content.
Answering these questions helps you to right-size your content. With an understanding of things like audience skill level, their context, and their content preferences, you can build your content to fit their expectations and needs.
And, while you probably do, spending some time to flesh it out and bring the picture into clear focus will help you craft training content that truly solves your audiences problems. A great training manual is easy to navigate. Someone encountering it for the first time feels comfortable discovering the information they need and a returning user is able to quickly find specific content and topics. You can make sure this is the case for your training manual by strategically planning your content.
Simply put, this means laying out all of your training material and organizing it in a logical fashion. There are different themes you might use to organize and categorize the topics in your training manual. You could organize them by:. If you do have a lot of topics, consider placing them in groups and using headings and sub-sections to create a logical flow and organization within your manual.
Use this structure to create a table of contents in the final manual. There are many ways to communicate the use of a product with its user. You can determine the media of the information based on the needs of the target audiences. Make sure that the media provide easy access to the information throughout the intended lifetime of the product.
Therefore, always keep in mind the lifetime of the product and even consider mentioning it in the instruction manual. Some examples of possible media for user instructions are text, visuals photographs, safety signs, graphical symbols and illustrations , video including auxiliary means such as audio and subtitles , animations, speech, braille, augmented reality, virtual reality, leaflets or stapled booklets with text, illustrations and printed information on the packaging or on the product itself.
Although regulations slowly become less strict, always inform yourself about any legal requirements on the publication form in the country where you are selling your product. See this article about online publication as well. Available technical authoring tools can help you to create both online and print user instructions, using the same single sourced content. Single sourcing with MadCap Flare. Regardless of the chosen medium, it is also important to format the information for both the media and the target audience.
Use a clean, readable sans-serif font. Ensure that the font size fits the needs of the audience. Avoid using multiple font styles. Use bold, italic or courier typeface for terminology, reference information or input. Information that is printed onto.
When information is only given on the packaging or in materials accompanying the product, make sure it is in a durable form. It should survive frequent use during the lifetime of the product and in an environment where the product is intended to be used.
Part of how you present your user guides has to do with the language. It is generally agreed, and in most cases mandatory, to provide the instructions in the language of the country where the product is being sold. For easy of distribution, these instructions are provided in 24 languages.
I have now developed the content in chapter 2 texts and 3 visuals and the form in chapter 4, so it is time to finalise the user guide.
The first thing you want to do is to proofread your instruction manual. Proofreading is the process of examining your written user instructions for errors. It can be difficult to proofread your own work and see the errors you made. If you're reading through your own work, your mind will read it like how it should have been written.
Once the proofreading has been done, you have a good starting point for the translations. Also, it is generally agreed that an English instruction manual is the best starting point for translations. Secondly, as English is the most spoken second language in the world, translating from English into another language is cheaper. It is easier to find someone to translate from English into Dutch, than from Dutch into English.
When finding someone to translate your instruction manual, try to look for a translator with similar translation experience. This might be a translator who is experienced in translating technical content, translating similar products, or in translating user guides.
When translating into multiple languages, working with a translation agency might save you lots of time, as they can take over the often complex project management. You might consider asking the translator or agency about their quality procedures and who is going to revise the text after translation. According to the standard, translators should have basic competencies as stated in proficiency level 1, should be as fluent in the original language as in the target language, should be native speakers in the target language and should be familiar with the type of product and any product-specific terminology.
As you know who your audience is and how your product works, you can increase the quality of your translations by providing the translator or agency a glossary or a list with the terminology that you want to use. The tool that you use to create your final instruction manual largely determines how the output, DTP and translation process is organised.
These tools have reuse of content as a starting point. By clearly separating content from form, the output process is automated, whereas with InDesign you will need several DTP hours. Also, most CMS or CCMS tools intended for technical authoring, allow you to create both online and print output using the same content.
Once you have finished and published your instructions, or maybe one step earlier, a usability test helps you to check if your users understand what you have assumed and written. Make sure to use naive and actual users that represent your audience and do not use designers or product experts.
Watch the participants of the user research closely when they are using the user manual to get something done. Examine where they zip through it. Note where they get confused, completely lost or fail when performing a task.
You can also record and analyse the research. Listen closely to what the users have to say and use all this information to then adjust your instruction manual accordingly.
To create a great first impression, you might have decided to make purposeful and effective use of colour or contrast. Colour-coding also helps to aid navigation,. When using colour or contrast, make sure you consider the needs of disabled users, such as users with low vision or who are colour-blind.
Test your use of colours during the usability research, to ensure they can be read by colour-blind users. Consider providing alternative instruction manuals in Braille, large print, audio etc. Well, there is a lot to say about how to write a user manual. And I have only covered the most important topics! I hope that with this summary, I have given some useful input based on my ideas of writing good user guides.
By following the tips from this article and looking at the provided examples, I hope you have a better understanding of creating better information for use. So, what's next? This case study including a free user manual template contains tons of additional information. If you find that this post is helpful to you, I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment below. Or how to write a user manual like this quick start guide for LIDL?
Like this user manual for Gazelle? Like these user guides and online help? And finally, how to create an instruction manual , like this one: Then read on. Watch this video to see if you can publish your user manual online. Serve information needs by gaining knowledge about your user The first thing you may want to do on your way to provide users with the right content is to get to know both the subject and user better. Ask yourself questions like: What describes the user?
What is their age, gender etc.? What tasks do they need to perform? Why is the task being carried out? How frequently will it be carried out? In what environment will the product be used? What language do they speak? Is the user under stress? What is their background? Is the product used professionally, commercially or privately? What technical experiences, qualifications, education, training, knowledge or skills do they have?
Does the user have access to the internet? Why is this important? To create a persona: Ask yourself the correct questions to identify and get to know the user. Find images online or in magazines that represent the user, their hobbies, the environment, their skills etc.
Use a photo editing tool or old-school scissors and paper to create a collage representing your user. Write an introduction in your user manual that describes the user.
For example: These instructions are intended for the end-user of the [machinery name]. Persona of the user for the IsoVox recording studio Gaining knowledge about your users helps you to focus on what is important to them. Have technical knowledge, but not too much This may seem like common sense, but knowledge really is the key to writing instructions that really help your users.
So, technical people may not always be the right persons to engage customers. Both too little and too much technical knowledge can have their disadvantages. Useful questions are: What is the intended use? What are the names of the most important parts?
How is the product delivered to the end-user? How do I transport and store the product? How do I use the product? How do I change the settings?
How do I maintain the product? How do I repair the product? What are the possible errors and how do I solve them? How do I dismantle and dispose of the product? Are there any spare parts available? What are the technical specifications? What risks do I encounter during the stages of the product life cycle?
When studying existing material, you will most likely find similarities and differences. So what exactly is a subject-matter expert? Some tips when interviewing your SMEs: Make sure to do your homework well. Problems are very specific, such as: How do I attach the feet to my microwave? How do I replace the mould of my machinery? What does the red flashing LED light mean? Am I allowed to clean the housing of my product with a detergent?
So the main problem would be: How do I make the Roof Washer ready for use? How do you process and organise all this? A few methods and tools that can help you: Create the table of contents on the go; Use mind mapping ; Use information mapping techniques; Use old-school post-its. Example of a mindmap All methods are based on the following principles: Break up all relevant information into small and manageable chunks; Each information chunk should be limited to a single topic; Label each information chunk in such a way that it identifies its contents, meaning that the description that you come up with should describe the content.
Organise and structure information, while making sure you are consistent in organising, formatting and sequencing information and be consistent in the use of terminology. Again, you are automatically further defining your topics here.
User Manual A user manual or instruction manual is one type of information product. The user manual, installation manual and quick start guide of a product Topic User manuals are structured around topics. Topics need to be grouped logically. Instructions If a topic is complex, it may contain several chunks, indicated as instructions in the above information type model.
Steps A step is a detailed description within an instruction. Illustrations contribute to a better understanding of what needs to be done.
This is the magical number of objects an average human can hold in short-term memory Miller, If necessary, a step can be enhanced with embedded safety warnings, tips with a more detailed description on how to perform the step or error recognition in case a step is done wrongly. When I apply this model to the process of creating user instructions, it would look like the following: Organise your topics for the sake of easy navigation I would like to talk a bit more about the importance of your table of contents and thus the way you organise your topics in the instruction manual The table of contents ToC should be incredibly carefully crafted.
Why does the ToC play such an important role? Example of a default table of contents When I think all is completed, I add my product specific topics to the default ToC, organise them and finalise my table of contents. Engage your audience by avoiding jargon in your instruction manual Instruction manuals written by technical people tend to contain huge amounts of jargon. What is jargon?
Help your user to find what they are looking for by meaningful headings A heading is a title at the head of a page or section of a book. This example shows a heading that clearly covers the content. Have a look at these examples: Notice that the phrasing of headings is consistent: The first-level heading covers what the entire chapter is all about. Although this is not the only right way to format them, I will give a style example here: Make first-levels all-caps; Make second-levels title-style caps: init-cap only the first word and any proper nouns and verbs; Make third-levels sentence-style caps: init-cap only the first word.
Using an automatic gateway to move persons children standing on it when it is opening or closing Example of the reasonably foreseeable misuse of a helicopter platform When you pay no or too little attention to the description of the reasonably foreseeable misuse, it may affect your liability as well.
Reasonably foreseeable misuse or unforeseeable misuse? Support clarity with clear understandable user manuals As discussed previously, an instruction manual consists of various kinds of information that serve a specific purpose, called information types. Which information types can YOU distinguish here? Writing instructions: Provide an immediate opportunity to act to get stuff done You can provoke action by giving less conceptual information and focus on giving procedures: users want to get stuff done and not read about it.
There is this interesting paradox: The best way to learn is to act. Look at this example based on the principles of minimalism , that contains this balance: Or this minimalist example In much conventional user documentation, not much priority is given to supporting actions a user needs to perform at the beginning of the instruction manual.
Also, within one sentence, you should follow the right order. To select German as your default language, select Deutsch when clicking on Language in the File menu Select Deutsch.
Pretty straight forward, right? Use the active voice to write easier to understand steps Make sure that the information you give is as simple and as brief as possible. The subject and verb are always clear in sentences with an active voice. Or you can mention the response at the beginning of the following step. The language window opens. In the language menu , select Deutsch. Click SAVE. Minimise cross-references to prevent confusion Every now and then you might want to add cross references to your instructions.
Example of a cross reference to the entire section Safety Information In general, cross-references should be kept to a minimum. Referring to a sequence of steps, like in the example below, is not recommended. Charge the battery. See 2. How to Charge the Battery. Force to consider details by using a style guide I have emphasised the importance of consistency several times already, but I will mention it again here: it is crucial to express terms, product elements and units in a consistent manner.
A style guide enhances comprehensibility. Ensure safety by using words like must, shall, should and could correctly The correct use of words to indicate requirements and recommendations is standardised in the American ANSI Z Include error handling to save your user time, reduce frustration and anxiety No matter how well a product or piece of software has been designed, things undoubtedly go wrong when using it.
But how do you know which error information to include? When you have found the most common errors that occur, a model for adding problem-solving information to your user manual suggests the following stages: Seeing the problem; Expressing the problem; Processing the problem-solving information. Additionally, good error management makes learning to use a product more productive. I discuss this in more detail in this podcast : Pay attention to the safety instructions and support safe use Safety is my favourite topic.
There is a solution to this that meets in the middle! First I would like to explain why we include warnings in user manuals. It is generally agreed in international standards that there are three ways to reduce those risks: You can adjust the design of your product, equip the product or user with safety measures such as safeguards, personal protective equipment or provide safety instructions.
As a rule of thumb you should warn where the risk is most likely to occur. As the name suggests, section safety messages are placed at the beginning of a specific section. When it comes to usability, you can do two things here. First of all, you could sum up all safety warnings that relate to that specific section. A more user-friendly approach would be: I am not saying not to use any warnings at all, but it definitely is possible to reduce the number of warnings drastically in many cases.
A good warning consists of three parts: The type and source of hazard; The consequences in the event of non-compliance; Measures to avoid the hazard. A warning is preceded by the signal word danger, warning, caution or notice.
WARNING Signal word used to indicate a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. CAUTION Signal word used to indicate a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. Avoid legal pitfalls and make your instruction manual legally compliant Depending on the product you are writing for, chances are there are legal requirements on the content, presentation and format of your user guides.
These videos explain excatly how to create a compliant manual for electrical equipment How to use the Operator Manual Template for to create a machinery manual: And for medical devices TO THE STORE Add navigation to optimise your user guide for findability An essential part of a clear user manual is the way your user can navigate to the information they are looking for.
The order of the topics largely determines how quick users find what they are looking for. Another way of guiding your user to the right information is by including an index or glossary An index is an alphabetical list of names, key words, product elements, life cycle stages etc. Make sure that the index includes synonyms that are most likely used.
Example of an index A glossary is an alphabetical list of words relating to the specific subject you are writing about, with explanations. Example of a glossary Another glossary example Review your user manual to get rid of errors, pt.
Use their feedback to optimise the instruction manual. All of these serve a different purpose. Use illustrations to enhance text You can use line illustrations to support, replace or augment text and to present a chronological sequence of a process or steps to be followed.
Illustrations to describe a sequence of steps When you place illustrations as close as possible to the text to which they relate, it is clear to which textual instruction they belong. Illustration that identifies main product parts Sometimes photos are used instead of illustrations. Use of a photo in a user manual that our client created Use of an illustration in the new instruction manual the we created When creating illustrations, you can leave out irrelevant information or easily emphasise important information.
Screenshot with an overview of main functionalities Explanation of the use of an app in a user guide Use tables to organise data You can use tables to organise numeric or verbal data. Technical data presented in a table Consider using video instead of illustrations Video or animation can serve many purposes.
Example of a realistic video tutorial Example of a 3D animation Example of an explainer video in cartoon style When using video, synchronised spoken or written text, or both, can be used to accompany the sequences. Use interactive animations to increase effectiveness and efficiency Another increasingly important form of animation, is interactive animation. Example of an online interactive animation according to minimalism principles Keep in mind that, as video might require a stable internet connection, it is less suitable in areas with bad reception.
Use symbols if you want to communicate language-independently Symbols, icons and safety signs are often used in instruction manuals. They are characterised by having a predefined and clearly identifiable meaning and are used to transmit information independently of language. This meaning is created by a combination of colour and geometric shape. Many symbols, icons and signs have been standardised.
Examples of clear icons according to ISO Icons can be used to represent objects or functions. User experience is HOT! As you can imagine, someone who is visually impaired might benefit from a larger font size. Make purposeful and effective use of colour.
Provide lots of white space. Bold font used to indicate the product elements. Italics used to indicate other sections. Font weight can be used sparingly to denote importance. Ensure high text-to-background contrast. Black text on a white background works best. Use colour coding consistently and apply standards, if applicable. Use consistent layout from page to page. For easy of distribution, these instructions are provided in 24 languages CHAPTER 5 - How to Finalise and Distribute Your User Manual I have now developed the content in chapter 2 texts and 3 visuals and the form in chapter 4, so it is time to finalise the user guide.
You can outsource this, which is what I would suggest you do, or you can do it yourself. We're going to illustrate this with our Business 20 design theme. Note we have hundreds and hundreds of design themes so whichever one or ones you've purchased will be your design themes that you can select in the Wizard software and that all of your created documents will look like.
Whenever we're going to create a document in the Wizard, in this case a handbook or instruction manual, we'll click the Document Projects button.
Same as if you're going to create a proposal. This is where we can select all the pages that will make up the document we're going to create. So like most documents a Title Page, Table of Contents, Back Page will be our most common chapters we'll start with and the body pages are going to be just whatever pages we need to make up that manual or handbook.
I'll just check off a Title Page, Table of Contents, Back Page and then we can decide what body pages we want in this manual. We have access to a couple thousand chapters so we can add an Introduction. If it's a technical manual you know we can add chapters from the technical category. Let's say we're writing a manual for a product. We might start adding some pages to talk about the product itself, capabilities, features, maybe how they can be customized, maybe some installation and safety related information.
We'll add the Installing chapter and a Frequently Asked Questions, that's a common type of topic. Now we can add a Frequently Asked Questions page. You'll see we have a set of 10 chapters for this instruction manual. We'll move the Products up to the top and you can see now we've got our Introduction, our Products page, Features page, an Installation page, Customization page, Safety Information, Frequently Asked Questions page.
With thousands of chapter templates available you can customize a handbook or manual in countless different ways. Once we've finished selecting all of our chapters we just save the project and the Wizard will build us this document. Okay, this document has been generated, we'll open it up take a look at it. You can see the front Title Page graphic that we set in the wizard to say Manual has been changed to Manual and you can see the list of chapters we selected and this manual is ready to finish filling in with your information.
You can just save it as a pdf or print it or whatever you need to do with it. Notice this will not be our information in the documents that you create, this is merged in from the Client and Company Data screens that you'll fill in.
Whatever information you type into the Wizard for your company, your company name, phone numbers and so on, website address will get put into the document. This is all editable text that you can change at any time after the document's been created by the Wizard. Now we'll illustrate another type of manual or handbook and we're going to use our Pest Control 2 design theme.
This instruction manual is actually one of the examples that's included. Note that we just happen to have all of our design themes loaded into our software here for demo purposes. Whichever one or more that you've purchased will be selectable from these lists.
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