Why are there so many poorly written manuals and how to improve them?
You may ask yourself: Seriously? A manual on now to write a better manual?
If you’ve seen the crap this author/editor had seen, revised and corrected over the years, you’d understand why a guide like this was written.
On a more serious note, there are good reasons why a technical writer, and more importantly their supervisors, should take this issue seriously.
According to surveys, manuals often make the end user (the consumer) frustrated since today’s manuals are often vague or disorganized. That affects the company’s bottom dollar, especially when upset customers give bad reviews or returned their product to buy something else. Yes, that happens about 1/3rd of the time.
(Source: http://www.sharonburton.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ConsumerFeelingsBurton2012.pdf [p21].)
That’s pretty serious.
Whether you’ve been writing tech manuals for years, are just starting off, or you’re a marketing manager that can’t understand why your exceptional product isn’t making a profit, consider the manual.
Besides common sense strategies for writing better manuals, this ebook contains extras, such as: check lists, before, during, and after writing; manual content (sections that may be added for a better user experience, and content that shouldn’t be ignored); what to look for during revisions, and the need for consistent style guides–with a brief list of those commonly found in the United States, if needed.
https://www.amazon.com ASIN: B09BJ11VFH