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Between 1996 and 1999 I worked for a company called “Rene Perez and Associates” in Miami, Florida. As one of two technical writers, it was my job to write user manuals about RPA’s AS/400 based aviation software programs that dealt with aircraft maintenance and accounting (PMI and PRA, respectively). I consider RPA to be one of my most important work experiences that helped me solidify my writing skills, especially in the area of writing “user manuals”.

What is a user manual? Essentially, it is a document that explains all aspects of a software system, from installation to use to backup to calling the help desk. The AS/400 system is a mid-range platform of IBM that is not used alot anymore, however, has great database capacity and so has been used by mid-tier airlines up until recent times. So, RPA worked hard to meet this market need. I am proud to have been part of their team and learned alot while working there.

When writing a user manual, you need to consider the individual user. Who is this user? If you can answer this question successfully, then what you write will have a much greater impact, because you recognize the specific needs of your audience and user, and also are aware of his or her knowledge base and the scope of technical information that he or she has. And believe me, this will affect greatly how you write and present your document as a technical writer.

The two bedrock fundamentals of quality user manuals are (1) meaningful screen shots and (2) strong supporting text explanations for the screen shots. You see, users really only care about understanding how to navigate through the software program, and are not too interested in really mastering a technical concept, even though they should Workers in technical jobs who rely on software, such as RPA’s system (aircraft maintenance personnel, for example) really care about getting their job done, so this is what you need to keep in mind. How can my write-up of the system help them to greater productivity and effectivity? If you can find a surefire answer to this question, then you are well on your way to writing great manuals for your readers.

User manuals are the same as other standardized manuals. They contain a Table of Contents, Chapters, Glossary, Index, and other Appendix sections that readers can utilize to make sure they understand how to navigate the software as well as verify their understanding of a technical term.

Today, there are two great products out there for Technical Writers that can help them greatly in creating GUI friendly user manuals: Robohelp and Author-IT. Robohelp is your more traditional help-system software on the market, while Author-IT is more object-oriented and will allow you to create a documents database of text and graphic objects that can be reused. This is really nice to help you save time and keep moving forward and not repeating previously written pages.

So, remember, to know your audience is the most important key to writing effective user manuals.

All the best,

Keith

Tags: Writing //