How to Create a User Manual

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https://www.wikihow.it/Creare-un-Manuale-d%27Uso

User manuals are physically written guides (on paper) or electronic documents (PDF or XPS) that provide instructions on how to do or use something.Although “user guides” are most commonly thought of as being related to computer software, user manuals are also attached to computers or other electronic devices such as TVs, stereos, telephones and MP3 players, as well as household appliances and equipment from the garden.A good user manual informs users about the features of the product, also teaching their respective operations in an effective and easily accessible way.Below are the elements to consider when creating effective content and layout of a user manual.
Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Creating User-Friendly Documentation

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  1. Step 1 Definisci l’utente di riferimento.
    To write a successful manual, you need to profile your user, either formal, by creating a written profile, or informal, by taking the time to make reasonable assumptions about your user's characteristics.A profile like this is useful when you're part of a team writing user documentation, and it can also be helpful in the process of taking the product from idea to final form.When writing a user profile, elements to consider include:
    • Where users will use the manual, at home, in the office, in a remote workplace or in the car.This could affect not only the content, but also the style of the manual.
    • How users will use the guide.If it will be necessary to consult the manual only rarely or to search for information, it should primarily take the form of a reference document.If it is something that will initially be consulted often by users, the reference section should be accompanied by a “Getting started” section and instructions on the most common uses of the product.
    • How much experience users already have with the product or others in the same category.If your product is new or has substantial differences from similar products, you will need to include an explanation of these differences, as well as instructions on how to get started using it.If the product addresses something that users often have problems with, such as many computer applications, you will need to provide adequate information and details in an understandable style.
  2. Step 2 Rivolgiti ai bisogni del tuo utente in modo che questi possa capire.
    Unless the user has technical experience, it will probably be best to avoid specific terminologies, preferring clear and simple explanations.The text should also be organized to accommodate users' reasoning;Listing product features by grouping them by their functions often makes more sense than the more commonly used orders in lists.
    • Sometimes there is no way around the technical terms, such as for charting software that includes Fibonacci charts along with more common pie and bar charts.In similar cases, it is useful to define the term and provide an explanation, for example by delving into the definition and usefulness of Fibonacci tables in financial analysis.
  3. Step 3 Spiega il problema che l’utente sta cercando di risolvere, poi presentane la soluzione.
    Providing only the solution to a generic problem works in the sales phase of the product, but once the user has bought it, he must understand how to use it in the best way.Identify specific problems the user will encounter, state them in the user guide and then move on to the instructions for solving them.
    • If the problem is a complex one, break it down into smaller parts.List each part with instructions on how to solve or deal with it, and then arrange them in succession.This process is known as "chunking".
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Elements of a User Manual

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  1. Step 1 Includi la copertina e i frontespizi appropriati.
    You will need a cover for each user guide, which consists of more than just a reference card, and cover pages for manuals longer than a folded sheet of paper (4 or more pages long).
    • If the manual is protected by copyright, it must be specified both on the cover and on the title page.
    • If you need to report the terms and conditions for the use of the manual and the related product, you must include them on the inside of the cover.
  2. Step 2 Inserisci riferimenti ai documenti collegati nell’introduzione.
    If the user documentation covers more than one volume, provide references to the other documents here, with the correct versions.The introduction is also the part where you can insert the “How to use this guide” section, if necessary.
  3. Step 3 Includi un indice, in caso il manuale superi le 10 pagine.
  4. Step 4 Metti le istruzioni/metodi e i materiali di riferimento nel corpo centrale del manuale.
    In many cases, the methods and reference materials should each have their own section, although you can always tell the user to reference specific content from one section to another.This way, the user can find the information they are looking for faster.
    • Methods should be written consistently throughout the instructions section of the manual.Start with an overview of the task, then describe what the user needs to do and what results he should achieve.The steps should be numbered and begin with action verbs, as should the steps in each section of this article.
    • Reference materials may include a list of options, tips, and frequently asked questions.Glossaries and appendices may be added towards the end of the manual, although a list of commonly used terms may appear at the beginning.The index can be omitted if the manual has fewer than 20 pages.
  5. Step 5 Usa delle grafiche qualora sia necessario sostenere il testo.
    Graphics, or screen shots, can illustrate certain points in the manual better than text, especially within complex procedures where users need visual confirmation of correct execution.Graphics can be produced using CAD programs or graphics software, digital editing and digital cameras, or in the case of screen shots, via the computer's built-in function (“stamp”/cmd+shift+3) or a graphics program that provides the screen recording option.
    • Once the graphics have been created, save them in a compressed format to allow them to be used in writing or publishing programs.You will also want to reduce the file size to make it easier to include on the page without reducing the detail for the user (if necessary, you may need to break down the original image and show the relevant parts as you go through the text).
    • If you are using numerous graphics in your methods, maintain consistency in dimensions, whether they are all the same length and width or always reduced to the same proportion from their original size.This will make the images more inviting to the user.Likewise, when saving screen shots to a computer, make sure the computer is set to a standard color during this step, in case the manual requires you to preserve these colors.
    • While graphics programs like Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro offer good screen saving capabilities, specialty programs like SnagIt also allow you to easily edit, catalog, and pin screens.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Designing a Readable Manual

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  1. Step 1 Scegli un paio di font leggibili.
    Although computers can support many different fonts, the goal of a user manual is easy readability.Choosing a few well-matched fonts is the best way to achieve this goal.There are 2 categories of fonts:“serif” and “sans serif” (with or without serif).
    • Serif fonts have small terminations at the ends of the main strokes of the letters.Serif fonts include Times New Roman, Baskerville, and Book Antiqua.Serifs work best in large 10-12 size text blocks in the main body of a printed user manual.
    • Sans serif fonts exhibit only the strokes that form the letters without endings.Sans serifs include Arial, Calibri, and Century Gothic.These fonts can be used for large blocks of size 8-10 text in an online manual or PDF, although the lack of endings makes sentences 12+ in size more difficult to read.However, they can be used effectively at larger sizes to display headlines and headings, and are equally suitable in smaller sizes for footers and numbers in columns or tables.
    • You should generally choose neutral fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman for your user manual, although it is better to opt for a decorative font in the case of quotes or titles, if you are writing for example for a video game with fantasy or science fiction settings (in case of extracts from the same text, you can often use the same font, in “italic” format).
    • Once you have chosen the fonts you will use, create a test page to check that the fonts look good together on paper.You may also want to show this proof to anyone who needs to approve the look of the manual before proceeding.
  2. Step 2 Pensa all’impaginazione.
    Once you have chosen the fonts for your user manual, you need to decide on the positioning of the various elements of the pages.
    • Typically, you will want to put the manual or chapter title in the header or at the bottom of the page, ideally using the manual title on the left page and the chapter title on the right.Page numbers should be above or below, outward (header or footer) or in the center (footer only).You may want to distinguish the first page of each section or chapter from the others by placing its page number in the center and subsequent ones in the outer corner of the header.
    • You may want to draw parts of the text in colored or shaded boxes, to separate them from the rest of the text.Be sure to choose a color or degree of shading that does not overlap the text.
    • Leave reasonably wide margins on all sides, with enough space on the edges that will be bound together.
  3. Step 3 Considera il tipo di rilegatura del manuale d’uso.
    If your manual has more than 4 pages, these will need to be bound in some way.While internal documents can be stapled together at one corner, external manuals delivered with the product are usually bound in one of 3 ways:
    • The side staples are suitable for manuals made up of folded sheets of paper measuring 21x27.5cm, 21x35cm or 27.5x42.5cm.Most economic manuals under 48 pages are bound this way.
    • The side seam is more commonly used for external reference guides rather than owner's manuals included with non-automotive products, although some longer guides are bound this way (Paint Shop Pro initially shipped with a seam-bound guide, when it was produced by JASC Software).
    • Spiral binding is suitable for user guides designed to be more robust, such as for outdoor environments, where stapled or stapled manuals would not resist.Some spiral-bound manuals may also contain laminated pages to prevent them from being damaged by contact with water or mud.
  4. Step 4 Costruisci un modello per il tuo manuale.
    Many writing and publishing programs offer the possibility of creating a template document for your user manual, so that when you write, the text automatically appears in the desired font within the portion of the manual you are working on (this article , in fact, was initially written using an MS Word template).Many of these programs also include a set of pre-made templates that you can modify to suit your needs, rather than creating a template from scratch.
    • Writing and publishing programs also allow you to create "styles", preset fonts and sizes for headers, footers, titles and text bodies.You can choose one of the predefined styles (such as "Heading1", "Normal", "Quote") or create your own custom style with its own name.As much as possible, follow institutional style naming conventions if you have multiple styles for the same piece of text (for example, MS Word labels heading styles as "Heading1", "Heading2", etc.by titles, from the main one to the various subtitle levels).Try to create all the styles you'll need in advance, so you don't have to stop creating them during the actual writing process.
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Advice

  • Make good use of code and text variables wherever possible.You can assign values ​​to it, such as the name of a product, the title of a manual or a chapter, and place them in the document rather than writing the actual text.When you preview or print a document, text will replace the variable.If the product name changes, or if you change the name of the manual or a chapter, it will be easier to change the information by replacing the value of the text variable rather than searching for and replacing it within the document.
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Things you will need

  • Writing or publishing program
  • Graphics or visual recording program
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