Product Manuals

Writing product manuals is all too often a task given to the brilliantly clever people who designed and created the product in the first place, but unfortunately this is often a big mistake. There are two good reasons why this is the case.

The first reason why product manuals should not be written by those who created or designed the product is simply because they are usually too close to the product, with an assumed understanding and knowledge that can result in a manual leaping from one concept to another, missing out small but incredibly significant steps, and taking considerable time to focus on fascinating but relatively trivial technical points.

The second good reason why product manuals should not be written by the manufacturer is because all too often these are not native English speakers. We have all seen examples of instructions written in English by a non-English speaker, with hilarious, disastrous or simply baffling instructions for the consumer to try to follow.

A professional, native English speaking writer has two advantages. Clearly there is the advantage as far as language and communication is concerned. The second is that, in order for the writer to write a product manual, he or she must first learn all about, and fully understand, the product itself.

An information booklet, user guide or manual is often written more along the lines of a sales brochure - listing all of the features available. The order of these is often seen as largely irrelevant, with either an alphabetical arrangement, or left-to-right methodology being adopted.

In order to produce a successful, and useful, user guide to a product, it is important to approach the project from the point of view of at least two customers: those who have no prior knowledge, understanding or assumed background, and those who do have some understanding and are looking to move on to the next step.

It is for the first type of customer or user that the greatest care must be taken to ensure that all information is presented in a logical, helpful sequence, clearly laid out in easy to follow stages, without being overwhelming.

Often people just need to get started quickly, and nothing can be more frustrating for a user than having to sit and read half a book before even finding out how to turn the thing on. Most customers abandon the user guide fairly early on, preferring to have a go instead.

This is as a direct result of the common failings inherent in so many product manuals. One of the best techniques in many cases is what I refer to as the 'spiral product manual'. This doesn't refer to the method used for printing and binding, but to the sequence and depth that the information is covered.

The 'spiral' method begins by covering as many of the basic, essential functions and requirements as possible, in a fairly superficial way. This allows people to get an overall feel and hands-on experience of the product, alleviating the temptation to chuck the book away and experiment.

Once this brief circuit has been completed, another lap is covered which goes into more practical detail. The reader should by now have a rudimentary understanding of the product, and is more likely to read at least some of this section. For the enthusiasts, a third lap can be included which covers any advanced information, settings, adjustments or technical information.

Of course, this is just one way in which a product manual can be written, and each project will have its own individual needs and challenges. For more information, or to discuss your product manual or user guide requirements, please use the contact link at the top of this page.