Writing Manuals
There is no absolute distinction between a set of instructions and a manual. Typically, the two share a main purpose: to explain how to carry out a task safely, effectively, and efficiently. Both kinds of documents can include safety information. For example, a set of instructions on how to use an extension ladder explains how to avoid power lines and how to avoid falling off the ladder. A manual for a laptop explains how to avoid electrocution when you open the case. However, a set of instructions (which can be anywhere from 1 to 20 or more pages) is typically shorter than a manual and more limited in its subject. Obviously, using a laptop requires knowing about many more topics than does using a ladder.
A manual likely also includes some sections not found in a set of instructions. For instance, it typically has a title page. The main difference between the two is that a manual has more-elaborate front matter and back matter:
Read more about typography in Ch. 11.
- Front matter. The introduction, sometimes called a preface, often contains an overview of the contents, frequently in the form of a table, which explains the main contents of each section and chapter. It also contains a conventions section, which explains the typography of the manual. For instance, italics are used for the titles of books, boldface for keyboard keys, and so forth. It also might include a where to get help section, referring readers to other sources of information, such as the company’s website and customer-support center. And it might contain a section listing the trademarks of the company’s own products and those of other companies.
- Back matter. Manuals typically include a set of specifications of the device or system, a list of relevant government safety regulations and industry standards that the device or system supports, tips on maintenance and servicing the device, a copyright page listing bibliographic information about the manual, and an index. Many manuals also include glossaries.
Read more about trademarks in Ch. 2.
Because they typically are longer and more complex than a set of instructions, manuals are almost always written collaboratively. Often, the writing team uses a wiki to make it easy for various subject-matter experts to contribute. When the manual is finished, the writing team often uses other social-media tools to enable users to evaluate and comment on it or even contribute to future versions of it.
Organizations work hard to make their instructions and manuals appropriate for multicultural readers. Because important instructions and manuals might be read by readers from any number of cultures, you need to answer three important questions as you plan the documents:
Read more about Simplified English in Ch. 10.
- In what language should the information be written? You can either translate the document into readers’ native languages or try to make the English easy to understand. Although translation is sometimes the best or only alternative, companies often use Simplified English or some other form of English with a limited grammar and vocabulary. Many organizations translate their manuals into various languages and post the translations on their websites as PDF documents for download.
- Do the text and graphics need to be modified? As discussed in Chapter 5, communicators need to be aware of cultural differences. For example, one printer manual aimed at an Italian audience presented nude models with strategically placed rectangles showing the various colors the machine could reproduce. Nudity would be inappropriate in almost all other countries. A software manual in the United States showed an illustration of a person’s left hand. Because the left hand is considered unclean in many countries in the Middle East, the manual would need to be modified for those countries (Delio, 2002).
- What is the readers’ technological infrastructure? If your readers don’t have Internet access, there is no point in making a web version of the information. If your readers pay by the minute for Internet access, you will want to create web-based information that downloads quickly.