COM 1013 Documentation Manual programming
Post on 09-Jul-2015
42 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Transcript
Its a written guides in either hard copy(paper) or electronic documents (PDF or XPS)
That provide instructions on how to do or something.
Example of user manual is electronic devices such as household appliances, lawn, and also computer.
Its also can educate the user to use the features effectively. Which easy to read and understand.
First define who is your user.
To create a successful user manual you need to
develop a profile of your user.
Make reasonable assumptions about your user
documentation and also helpful in taking the
product itself from concept to final form.
First define who is your user.
To create a successful user manual you need
to develop a profile of your user.
Make reasonable assumptions about your user
documentation and also helpful in taking the
product itself from concept to final form.
Where users will use the user guide. This may determine not
only the content, but the style the user manual takes.
How users will use the user guide. If the manual is one they
will consult only infrequently or to look up information, it
should primarily take the form of a reference document.
HOW TO MAKE USER MANUAL
Ensure that the writers are part of the product design team.
Write the user manual in synch with the product's development timeline — not under pressure of shipping deadlines.
Make sure the writers have the product, understand the product, and actually use the product as they write.
Consider the needs of disabled users (i.e., low vision, colour-blind)
Things to think about when forming a user
profile includes.
Where users will use the user guide. This
may determine not only the content, but
the style the user manual takes.
How users will use the user guide. If the
manual is one they will consult only
infrequently or to look up information, it
should primarily take the form of a
reference document.
Many users does not use the user manual or don’t
understand well about user manual.
To avoid this you may follow the following guideline. Avoid
a text-book look (landscape formatting can be less
threatening).
Use paper that is commensurate with the quality of the
product.
Make effective use of pictures and diagrams.
Provide lots of white space.
Use a clean, readable san-serif font.
Include a help-line number.
Use a single language.
ho
Users quickly get frustrated when
they cannot find what they are
looking for in the user manual.
Here are some guidelines that
will help users find what they
are looking for.
Organize information
hierarchically.
Code the hierarchy with tabs,
colours etc.
Divide into sections ordered by:
Chronology of use.
Frequency of use.
Functional categories.
Expertise level (beginner
vs. expert user).
HOW TO ENHANCE FINDIBILATY
•Includes index likes
synonms
•Include a trouble shooting
Section.
•Make the quick start
guide.
How to findality
•Avoid unnecessarily
cross referencing other
parts.
•Avoid duplicate page
numbering.
•Clearly display the
helpline number.
Learn to give instructions •Clearly this is the primary role of the user
manual.
• It is critical that the instructions are easy to
read and are understandable by all users.
•Many user manuals have instructions that are
incomplete, incorrect, or simply have no bearing
on the actual product. Here are some guidelines
to help make instructions easy on the user.
•Provide step-by-step sequences in the correct
order.
•Do not assume the user has prior experience or
product knowledge.
•Usability test the instructions alongside the
product using naive users (not designers or product
experts).
•Write in the present tense and the active voice.
•Write the steps to task completion while
doing the actual task on a real product.
• Have an independent user then follow
the steps (literally) with the product and
check that:
Learn to design individual
pages
In addition to effective instructing, the use of colour, the text and
fonts used, and the icons and graphics can all either make for an
easy experience or can derail the user.
Ensure that font size is adequate
Ensure high text-to-background contrast.
vFont weight can be used sparingly to denote importance.
Use colour coding consistently.
Provide plenty of white space between sections and around images
and paragraphs.
Provide a section (or margins) for the users to make their own notes.
Use consistent layout from page to page.
Test your use of colours to ensure they can be read by colour-blind
users
Avoid using saturated blue for text and small detail, and never use
blue on a red background
User manuals are used in many different kinds of
environments: they may be used indoors or outdoors,
Ensure that the user manual can lie flat on a work
surface when opened.
Consider the environment of use and if necessary
provide a robust user manual.
Consider whether the user needs to hold the user
manual and work at the same time.
Provide durable covers and pages.
Consider whether the user manual needs to resist
water, oil, dirt, grease etc.
lEARN TO PHYSICAL MANUAL
top related