Do you often find yourself writing work manuals or guides? In the course of your work, situations frequently arise where a manual is necessary. Whether it's for training new employees, handing over tasks, answering customer questions, or introducing your service to clients, a manual or guide is essential.
However, according to a survey conducted by Tango in April 2023, not all manuals or guides are effective or helpful. Some can actually confuse users and lead to more questions rather than providing clarity (Source: Tango).
Today, we'll explore the characteristics of such inefficient manuals, discuss what you should avoid when creating them, and share tips on how to quickly and easily write an effective work manual or guide.
1. Avoid Long Videos!
It's common to see websites, especially SaaS services on PC web versions, replacing FAQs with instructional videos. However, no matter how well-made, long videos are not suitable for long-term training and knowledge sharing.
Typically, long videos are tedious and take a lot of time to watch from start to finish. Remember, users want to get the information they need quickly without wasting time.
While videos are great for explaining and demonstrating processes, they are not ideal for immediate follow-along actions. Imagine pausing the video, performing a task, then restarting the video to check the next step—it's cumbersome, isn't it?
Moreover, videos are difficult to update when there are changes to the service, and unless produced by a professional, they can come off as amateurish despite the effort put into them.
Try This Instead!
Create step-by-step guides. In most cases, users only need help with specific steps. With a manual or guide, they can jump straight to the needed step and follow along easily.
Additionally, using StepHow, you can create a guide in just a minute. It allows for quick edits and instant updates. The tool automatically captures screens and inserts backlinks, helping you create high-quality manuals quickly.
2. Too Much Text Can Be Overwhelming
A single image can replace over 100 words of explanation. Manuals that rely heavily on screenshots are much easier to understand than those filled with long blocks of text. Visual aids not only help with learning but are also preferred by many people.
It's better to give concise instructions on what needs to be done and show it with visual examples. Don't try to over-explain. Manual creators often fall into the trap of thinking they need to explain "what to do," "why to do it," and "why this method is best." In reality, most people just want to know how to complete the task quickly without needing to understand the full context.
The main reason text-heavy manuals are still common is that using images can be challenging. Capturing screens, transferring them to tools like PowerPoint, refining them, adding explanations, and repeating the process multiple times is time-consuming. As a result, many prefer to convey the key points through text.
Try This Instead!
Focus on the end-user's needs. There's no need to include unnecessary details. Provide just enough context to help them complete the task efficiently. Simplicity equals efficiency.
Use StepHow to capture your screens. StepHow automatically captures the screen whenever a mouse click occurs, creating a screenshot for each step. Even if you share the automatically generated manual within a minute, users can quickly follow along with the process, knowing exactly where to click and what to do next.
3. Too Many Unhelpful Screenshots
Even when many screenshots are used, a manual can still be ineffective if the images aren’t properly cropped or if there’s no indication of where to click or what to focus on. While the images used in a manual need to be clear and large enough, they shouldn't be so large that it's difficult to tell where to click.
Screenshots should be cropped to highlight only the necessary parts, with clear indications of where to click and what to pay attention to.
So why do manuals still often include full-screen shots without marked click points? It’s because cropping and annotating images is time-consuming and tedious.
For example, using a typical manual creation tool like PowerPoint, it can take 6-8 minutes just to crop a screenshot and mark the correct location. Creating a manual with dozens of steps can take several hours.
Another reason is the tendency to overestimate the user’s knowledge and understanding of the task. Manual creators are experts in the software and processes, so they need to consciously write from the user's perspective.
Try This Instead!
Using StepHow to create your manual can solve these issues easily. StepHow automatically captures screens based on your clicks and clearly marks where you clicked. It also makes cropping and zooming in or out of images incredibly easy, allowing you to edit as needed.
While traditional methods using PowerPoint might require hours to create a not-so-effective guide, StepHow can complete the entire process in under a minute.
Don't spend too much time creating work manuals. Just quickly produce manuals or guides with StepHow, and showcase them! With the time you save, you can focus on more important tasks.
▶ Try StepHow for Free
▶ Create How-to Guides in Seconds
Do you often find yourself writing work manuals or guides? In the course of your work, situations frequently arise where a manual is necessary. Whether it's for training new employees, handing over tasks, answering customer questions, or introducing your service to clients, a manual or guide is essential.
However, according to a survey conducted by Tango in April 2023, not all manuals or guides are effective or helpful. Some can actually confuse users and lead to more questions rather than providing clarity (Source: Tango).
Today, we'll explore the characteristics of such inefficient manuals, discuss what you should avoid when creating them, and share tips on how to quickly and easily write an effective work manual or guide.
1. Avoid Long Videos!
It's common to see websites, especially SaaS services on PC web versions, replacing FAQs with instructional videos. However, no matter how well-made, long videos are not suitable for long-term training and knowledge sharing.
Typically, long videos are tedious and take a lot of time to watch from start to finish. Remember, users want to get the information they need quickly without wasting time.
While videos are great for explaining and demonstrating processes, they are not ideal for immediate follow-along actions. Imagine pausing the video, performing a task, then restarting the video to check the next step—it's cumbersome, isn't it?
Moreover, videos are difficult to update when there are changes to the service, and unless produced by a professional, they can come off as amateurish despite the effort put into them.
Try This Instead!
Create step-by-step guides. In most cases, users only need help with specific steps. With a manual or guide, they can jump straight to the needed step and follow along easily.
Additionally, using StepHow, you can create a guide in just a minute. It allows for quick edits and instant updates. The tool automatically captures screens and inserts backlinks, helping you create high-quality manuals quickly.
2. Too Much Text Can Be Overwhelming
A single image can replace over 100 words of explanation. Manuals that rely heavily on screenshots are much easier to understand than those filled with long blocks of text. Visual aids not only help with learning but are also preferred by many people.
It's better to give concise instructions on what needs to be done and show it with visual examples. Don't try to over-explain. Manual creators often fall into the trap of thinking they need to explain "what to do," "why to do it," and "why this method is best." In reality, most people just want to know how to complete the task quickly without needing to understand the full context.
The main reason text-heavy manuals are still common is that using images can be challenging. Capturing screens, transferring them to tools like PowerPoint, refining them, adding explanations, and repeating the process multiple times is time-consuming. As a result, many prefer to convey the key points through text.
Try This Instead!
Focus on the end-user's needs. There's no need to include unnecessary details. Provide just enough context to help them complete the task efficiently. Simplicity equals efficiency.
Use StepHow to capture your screens. StepHow automatically captures the screen whenever a mouse click occurs, creating a screenshot for each step. Even if you share the automatically generated manual within a minute, users can quickly follow along with the process, knowing exactly where to click and what to do next.
3. Too Many Unhelpful Screenshots
Even when many screenshots are used, a manual can still be ineffective if the images aren’t properly cropped or if there’s no indication of where to click or what to focus on. While the images used in a manual need to be clear and large enough, they shouldn't be so large that it's difficult to tell where to click.
Screenshots should be cropped to highlight only the necessary parts, with clear indications of where to click and what to pay attention to.
So why do manuals still often include full-screen shots without marked click points? It’s because cropping and annotating images is time-consuming and tedious.
For example, using a typical manual creation tool like PowerPoint, it can take 6-8 minutes just to crop a screenshot and mark the correct location. Creating a manual with dozens of steps can take several hours.
Another reason is the tendency to overestimate the user’s knowledge and understanding of the task. Manual creators are experts in the software and processes, so they need to consciously write from the user's perspective.
Try This Instead!
Using StepHow to create your manual can solve these issues easily. StepHow automatically captures screens based on your clicks and clearly marks where you clicked. It also makes cropping and zooming in or out of images incredibly easy, allowing you to edit as needed.
While traditional methods using PowerPoint might require hours to create a not-so-effective guide, StepHow can complete the entire process in under a minute.
Don't spend too much time creating work manuals. Just quickly produce manuals or guides with StepHow, and showcase them! With the time you save, you can focus on more important tasks.
▶ Try StepHow for Free
▶ Create How-to Guides in Seconds