

- DOCUMENT TEMPLATES FOR PAGES HOW TO
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Keep documentation as simple as possible to achieve its goal. Write the documentation in an easy-to-read way. Don’t assume they know all the technical and/or industry buzzwords that you likely use every day inside your office.ĭon’t write as if they’re children, but understand that they may need extra help to truly get them up to speed. It’s natural for you to use it.īut that’s where you can run into some serious trouble.ĭon’t assume your customer knows anything about your product. You know all kinds of jargon, acronyms, and other “insider” info that customers likely don’t. It sounds like a no-brainer, but writing in plain language about a product or service you know front-to-back is more difficult than you might think. Remember, write for the user, not the developer. Use simple, plain language whenever possible to help your customers understand even the most complex concepts. No one wants to feel dumb, and language that makes your customer feel that way is certainly no way to foster a great experience. Nothing will frustrate a customer more than reading something they can’t understand. What are the essential elements of great user documentation?Įven though each product is unique and will require different elements to create truly great user docs, there are some end user documentation best practices to follow no matter what.

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In fact, more than 70 percent of people prefer to use a company’s website for help rather than get assistance using phone or email.Įven the best documentation won’t eliminate all of these calls, but creating user guides and manuals that are clear, comprehensive, and concise will go a long way to reduce the overall volume of support requests. But, if customers can figure it out themselves, they’re far less likely to need help. Reduces callsĪs noted above, people often call support when they can’t figure something out. And, if it’s a searchable electronic document, that’s even better! We’ll learn more about this later in the article. When you include essential pieces, such as a table of contents or index, they can quickly find the information they need. Your product support team can use documentation to help better support your customers when they ask for help. Great user documentation doesn’t just have to be for customers. Having great user documentation helps out your support team in two major ways. People often contact your support team when something isn’t working, but they might also call when they simply can’t figure something out. 📚 Recommended Reading: 9 Tips for Awesome User Documentation How user documentation supports your support team
DOCUMENT TEMPLATES FOR PAGES HOW TO
Whether it’s how to save a document, start a motor, use a specific tool, or even important safety information, your end-user documentation is an important part of your relationship with your customers. User documentation helps ensure your customers or users actually learn how to get the most out of your product.

Skip down to how to make user documentation Why is user documentation important? Lawn mowers and snow blowers have product guides to show you how to start the engines and where to refill the fuel. Tax forms come with guides on how to properly fill them out.
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Software documentation shows you what your purchase can do and how to do it. Video games come with manuals to tell you which buttons to push to shoot the bad guys. However, user documentation takes many forms. Very little text, but clear and easy-to-follow diagrams and visual instructions on how to complete the product. This is a great example of IKEA user documentation.
