How to Create a User Manual

This article was co-authored by Joe Simmons. Joe Simmons is a Corporate Trainer based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Joe specializes in operations management, leadership, learning and development, and employee training to help employees become high-performing teams. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from The University of South Florida. Joe’s coaching has helped numerous organizations with employee retention, revenue growth, and team productivity.

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Software, computers, games, and devices require user manuals, guides that explain how to use the product (and how not to). A user manual is a formal writing piece with a specific structure, and should be written by someone who is intimately familiar with the product such as a technical writer or the product designer. Writing an effective user manual requires knowing who is going to be using the product, then writing it with these users in mind. Keep your writing clear, precise, and simple in order to ensure a problem-free user experience.

Planning Your User Manual

• Talk to people who will use your device. Offer test users prototypes of the device and a draft of the user manual under controlled conditions. Solicit these test users’ feedback about things that are not obvious or confusing in the user directions and incorporate changes into your user manual based on this feedback.
• You can never please your entire audience; write the manual to suit the target or largest audience.
• Think about the audience’s age, health (do they have illnesses, learning impairments, or disabilities?), and educational level to determine the best approach to writing the user guide.

Coordinate the design of the user manual. If you were part of the team that helped design and develop the device or product, it might be hard to look at the product objectively in order to explain its operation. You might, therefore, want to solicit the advice of a writer (preferably one with experience in writing instructions) and graphic designer in order to help you draft the user manual. You could choose these individuals from an outside consultancy or from your own company or organization.

• If you have a product that can perform many different tasks or sub-tasks, you will need to perform a task analysis on each task. For instance, in a car, you can honk the horn, strap yourself in, and turn your headlights on or off. Create a task analysis for each of these as needed.

• For the user manual of a product to be effective, it needs to be written in concert with labels affixed directly to the product.
• Ensure your device is legally licensed for sale before writing instruction manual.

• Another way to streamline your manual is to use two columns, one on the right with text and the other just to the left of the text with bullet points, numbers, or small icons like warning signs or red exclamation marks. [3] X Research source
• Your manual might be mostly images with some text beneath each image to explain the device, or it could be primarily text with only a few accompanying images. You could also use a flow chart to provide the user with directions. Think about your product and how each method might be of use when writing your user manual. However, avoid mixing different layouts within a manual. Choose one and stick with it.

Including Essential Information

Organize the manual logically. The user manual should proceed in a way that the user will find most beneficial. [4] X Expert Source

• A table of contents is especially necessary for longer manuals.
• A glossary or index is needed when there are many terms to explain that your audience may not be familiar with. However, glossaries are not recommended; the best choice is to explain confusing terms in the text of the manual itself. If you choose to include a glossary, place it in front of the manual, just after the table of contents.
• A list of tables or figures is only necessary if there are more than a few tables or figures in the manual.
• An appendix is needed for things that should be explained but cannot be explained at another point in the manual because it would disturb the flow and focus.

Include necessary warnings. The general warnings or cautionary information should provide information about potential threats improper use of the product could incur, including death or serious injury. These warnings should be placed in the very front of the manual after the cover page so that the user sees them first. Specific warnings should also be included in the text of the user manual just after or just before a potentially hazardous step is suggested.

• For instance, a general warning for an electric device might be to avoid using it during rain.
• A specific direction might be to ensure that your hands and the device are both dry before plugging the device in.
• Include graphics (such as a skull and crossbones) or different-colored text (like red text) to differentiate the warning from the rest of the directions in the user manual and draw users’ attention to it.
• You could explain the benefits of following the manual instead of working independently. [5] X Expert Source

Describe the device. Your description should include both a written explanation as to the device’s purpose and a small graphic depicting what the device looks like. The graphic should properly label and name all the switches, knobs, and attachable parts that the device includes.

• A parts list
• Unpacking instructions
• Warnings related to setup
• Results of an improper setup
• Who to call in case they encounter difficulty in setting up

Provide information about operation. This section is the main portion of the user manual and should provide concrete, detailed information on how to use the device. Begin with basic preparation for using the device, such as plugging it in or washing your hands. Move on to logical, numbered steps that describe how the device should be used, as well as feedback (for instance, “You’ll hear a click. ”) the user can expect when using the device appropriately.

• At the end of this section, users should be referred to the troubleshooting section in order to solve problems that can’t be quickly explained.
• Include graphics where necessary. Some steps are best explained with images as well as words. Think about using photographs or illustrations in your user manual.
• In this section, as in every section, be sure to include relevant safety warnings about improper use or operation. For instance, you might warn users of a chainsaw not to drink alcohol or use the chainsaw while on certain medications.
• If you think users would benefit, consider including links to online videos that demonstrate proper use and operation of the device. You could include these videos either at the beginning of this section, or (in the case of videos that illustrate only one step) at the end of each step.
• Try to keep your instructions as simple as possible. If your manual gets too complicated, you might lose people along the way. [7] X Expert Source