Jun 19 2009 10:00AM GMT
Posted by: Jaideep
User Manual,
Project Management,
User Management,
Software Project,
FAQ,
quality
Six major key points that should be kept in mind while preparing User Manuals can be as listed below:
1. Simple – Never expect your product users to be as knowledgeable about your product as you are. Remember when you first time tried working on this product, how ignorant or untrained you were. The expertise that you have on your product has come over a period of time on repeated usage (in terms of implementation and training) of this product. So keep your User Manuals as simple as possible. Don’t use technical jargons, or tough language clauses. And even if you have to use them, break them in fractions or explain them in detail.
2. Extensive – Prepare User Manuals as detailed as possible. Use less text and more visuals/ diagrams/ flow charts/ process charts/ drawings/ illustrations/ screenshots/ pointers, highlights, captions, bold/ caps and italics to make is more user friendly, more understanding and less cumbersome.
3. Crisp and Fluent – On the other hand the User Manuals that you are preparing for your product users have to be crisp, up-to-the-mark, relevant, in-tune with the product, devoid of useless stories.
4. Quality – Imagine an airplane handed over to a person who doesn’t know ABC of even kite flying keep aside an airplane. And with the help of a user manual if he is able to take off and landing, the whole credit goes the User Manual. Build your user manuals like this.
5. FAQ – This is an important section of your User Manuals simply explaining two things. First is what – if situation that means what will happen if you do a particular activity. And second is if – what that means if you want to perform a particular task, what you are supposed to do. Understand the difference between what – if and if- what and build your FAQ section accordingly.
6. Right Person – Don’t imagine. Not at least that a good actor will be a good story writer or script writer. These are different jobs. Let developer do the development and chose the right person for understanding the product correctly and design User Manual.
Jun 17 2009 10:00AM GMT
Posted by: Jaideep
User Manual,
Software Project,
software project management,
key user,
stakeholder,
project implementation,
post implementation,
user feedback,
usability,
reliability,
stability,
durability,
report,
analytic,
feel and look,
product support,
project support,
live run,
product training,
software training,
training team,
implementation team,
project team,
project sign-off,
sign-off,
business scenario
The product owners or stakeholders might be many in a software project, but the real frontrunners who drive, run and use the software product post implementation are the key users and other users. It is their feedback that matters most. They must be the most comfortable lot on usability, functionality, reliability, stability, durability, resultant outputs in terms of reports and analytics, feel and look of the product. They are the one who are going to matter most in the success or failure of a product during and post implementation. The best tool to give them comfort, satisfaction, confidence and support is the User Manuals that they refer to most of the time during post implementation live run.
Even if the product is excellent and trainings are most rigorous ones, in absence of the project implementation team, every now and then the key users will be seeking help from User Manuals. User Manuals are the supporting agents for them at all times. That is why User Manuals have to be perfect in all aspects.
Infact a user manual prepared for product users should be such treated as a replacement of implementation and training team right from the moment the project is signed off and users start using the product in real business scenario.
