RE: User Manual par excellance

["Joe Malin" <jmalin -at- tuvox -dot- com>]

Uh, does he think you're writing a *novel*? 

A good user manual solves the customer's problems. A grand successful
user manual does that with such clarity that the customer writes you a
letter full of praise.

Always ask yourself "what is the user trying to do?" Then ask yourself
"does this book help the user do that?"

The keys are organization, clear writing, and accuracy.

Grabbing the user's interest is not high on my list. I leave that to the
marketing documentation. 

HOWEVER, you also have your boss as a customer. So, write something
clear and powerful that assures the customer that the software is
greater than sliced bread ever was. Put this as the first in the
introduction. No harm in it, but don't worry that most users are gonna
*read* it.

Contrariwise, spend *lots* of time on your TOC and your index. For a
user manual, customers may want a 15-minute course on how to get
started. After that, I think most customers "full-text search" a book to
answer questions.

Joe


	 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin -at- tuvox -dot- com 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.	

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-216553 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-216553 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Lucero,
Peggy
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 7:55 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: User Manual par excellance


OK, I've gotten feedback from boss about the User Manual.  Complaint is
first 5-7 pages just don't grab and pull the reader in.
I've been told that it needs more purpose and focus.  

Wondering...

1. Does anyone have a User Manual that they wrote for an IT deliverable
system that, well, went over BIG with the customer that you might be
willing to shoot my way to enable me to see what a grand success looks
like?
2. Has someone written an article/book on this topic that is considered
a *how to classic* on this kind of document?
3.  Is there a chapter in a book that addresses how to write a killer
User Manual? One where the reader will NOT be able to put it down and
will sit up all night entirely enthralled, captivated and stimulated
beyond their wildest expectations?

OK, perhaps I'm dreaming here : ) but, I am trying to improve on this
and welcome success stories or lessons learned.

Thanks,

Peggy Lucero
ATS
7915 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, VA
22102




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