A user guide, also commonly called a technical communication document or manual, is intended to give assistance to people using a particular system.[1] It is usually written by a technical writer, although user guides are written by programmers, product or project managers, or other technical staff, particularly in smaller companies.[2]
User guides are most commonly associated with electronic goods, computer hardware and software, although they can be written for any product.[3]
- Jul 28, 2011 b. Click Add Web page. The slide name and URL address will display in the table.sample user manual.doc Page 4 of 5© 2011 Lisa C. Online Classroom User Manual If entering a file: a. Click Browse to locate the file to be loaded from your hard disk.
- Action: Adjust the User Manual Template to fit your brand identity, or download the InDesign user manual template and adjust it. Step 14 DTP Works. DTP stands for Desktop Publishing and Wikipedia describes it as ‘the creation of documents using page layout skills on a personal computer primarily for print’.
- Whichever boring and insipid creating a manual usually is, whether you are a developer/manufacturer or an end-user, you simply cannot do without one. Perspective of poking a finger in the sky in order to figure out how to employ the product as well as leaving your arduous piece of work without a det.
West Virginia Division of Personnel Online Application User's Guide This brief guide is provided to help applic ants understand the steps in the online application process. You m ay apply at any computer with Web access. Start at the Division of Person nel Web Site: www.per sonnel.wv.gov Click: Application Process (Under Job Seekers). Web Curator Tool User Manual Version 1.3 Page 4 of 77 Introduction About the Web Curator Tool The Web Curator Tool is a tool for managing the selective web harvesting process. It is typically used at national libraries and other collecting institutions to preserve online documentary heritage. May 10, 2011 A user manual is a formal writing piece with a specific structure, and should be written by someone who is intimately familiar with the product such as a technical writer or the product designer. Writing an effective user manual requires knowing who is going to be using the product, then writing it with these users in mind.
Most user guides contain both a written guide and associated images. In the case of computer applications, it is usual to include screenshots of the human-machine interface(s), and hardware manuals often include clear, simplified diagrams. The language used is matched to the intended audience, with jargon kept to a minimum or explained thoroughly.
Contents of a user manual[edit]
The sections of a user manual often include:
Title: Dream Yuga Brochure Created Date: 1/16/2019 4:35:33 PM. Honda is presenting Dream Yuga new bike in India with more stylish and good mileage. 
Are you looking for Dream Yuga? Read all the user reviews about Honda Dream Yuga. Reviews, Ratings & Frequently Asked Questions by the users will help you to take right buying decision. Dear friends don’t buy honda dream yuga, it is worst bike. I purchased my bike in 2012, after 5000 km this bike gives me lot of trouble, like chain crazy sound, chain cover loose, engine vibration, bike balancing problem and tyres.
- A cover page
- A title page and copyright page
- A preface, containing details of related documents and information on how to navigate the user guide
- A contents page
- A Purpose section. This should be an overview rather than detail the objective of the document
- An Audience section to explicitly state who is not as well as who is required to read, including optionals
- A Scope section is crucial as it also serves as a disclaimer, stating what is out-of-scope as well as what is covered
- A guide on how to use at least the main function of the system
- A troubleshooting section detailing possible errors or problems that may occur, along with how to fix them
- A FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Where to find further help, and contact details
- A glossary and, for larger documents, an index
History[edit]
User guides have been found with ancient devices. One example is the Antikythera Mechanism[4], a 2,000 year old Greek analogue computer that was found off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera in the year 1900. On the cover of this device are passages of text which describe the features and operation of the mechanism.
As the software industry was developing, the question of how to best document software programs was undecided. This was a unique problem for software developers, since users often became frustrated with current help documents[5]. Some considerations for writing a user guide that developed at this time include:
The Shop-Vac ® 20 Gallon. 6.5 Peak HP. Wet Dry Vac was designed to vacuum liquids from one location and pump out the tank in another by simply attaching a garden hose (not included). No more lifting heavy tanks of water. Shop-vac 9520210 Pdf User Manuals. View online or download Shop-vac 9520210 User Manual. Download 125 Shop-vac Vacuum Cleaner PDF manuals. User manuals, Shop-vac Vacuum cleaner Operating guides and Service manuals. Shop vac qpv 20 gal user manual. Use only as described in this manual. Use only Manufacturer’s recommended attachments. Do not use with damaged cord or plug. If appliance is not working as it should, has been dropped, damaged, left outdoors or dropped into water, contact Shop-Vac Corporation for assistance. View & download of more than 156 Shop-vac PDF user manuals, service manuals, operating guides. Vacuum cleaner user manuals, operating guides & specifications.
- the use of plain language[5]
- length and reading difficulty[5]
- the role of printed user guides for digital programs[6]
Website User Guide
- user-centered design[6]
Website User Guide Example
Computer software manuals and guides[edit]
User manuals and user guides for most non-trivial software applications are book-like documents with contents similar to the above list. They may be distributed either in print or electronically. Some documents have a more fluid structure with many internal links. The Google Earth User Guide[7] is an example of this format. The term guide is often applied to a document that addresses a specific aspect of a software product. Some usages are Installation Guide, Getting Started Guide, and various How to guides. An example is the Picasa Getting Started Guide.[8]
In some business software applications, where groups of users have access to only a sub-set of the application's full functionality, a user guide may be prepared for each group. An example of this approach is the Autodesk Topobase 2010 Help[9] document, which contains separate Administrator Guides, User Guides, and a Developer's Guide.
References[edit]
- ^'Online Technical Writing: User Guides'. hcexres@io.com. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical Writing, pg. 143. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1993. ISBN0020130856
- ^'Manuals Brain - all useful manuals at one place!'. manualsbrain.com. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^'Boffins decipher manual for 2,000-year-old Ancient Greek computer'. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ abcChafin, Roy (January 1982). 'User Manuals: What Does the User Really Need?'. SIGDOC '82 Proceedings of the 1st annual international conference on systems documentation: 36–39 – via ACM Digital Library.
- ^ abMcKee, John (August 1986). 'Computer User Manuals in Print: Do They Have a Future?'. ACM SIGDOC Asterisk Journal of Computer Documentation. 12: 11–16 – via ACM Digital Library.
- ^'Google Earth User Guide'. Google. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^'Getting Started with Picasa: Getting Started Guide'. Google. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^'Autodesk Topobase 2010 Help'. Autodesk. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
- ^Manualdevices - Free User Manual 'Manualdevices - Free User Manual ', Retrieved on 01 August 2019.