We write Manuals for Print or PDF
Technical, Scientific and Commercial
Documentation: Manuals - Guides - Handbooks -
Guidebooks -
Brochures - Information Sheets - Booklets
- Reports

For professional documentation
Printed manuals are suitable for
Equipment and Software applications, or for Business /
Operating Procedures.
Plain
English: The reader needs to understand
what he sees, so the writing must be clear, to the point, thorough and in
plain English.
Targeted: Each manual is targeted at its readers, so we need to know who they are, and what they need to
know. Does the manual need to address
a number of reader groups? Are they non-technical? Technical? Graduates?
IT professionals? Engineers? Clerical staff? Reception desk? Are they
even computer literate?
Content: Manuals can include:
Writing Style
I am firm believer in plain English, and use the best
research resources from Britain, Canada and the USA (but not their
spelling!)
I write for the end reader, and normally the style is very
different from the way development specialists write. For example,
programmers sometimes find it hard to write for a new user.
Therefore I avoid "jargon" unless it is normal trade
vocabulary for that reader group.
Note: If you have existing manuals, I may need to convert
them into plain English.
What kinds of manuals?
User Manuals
These are the easiest to read and use, and are designed for
the non-technical reader who wants to start with "how to switch it on"
and use it. It may even show where the “On” switch is. (Don’t laugh –
people ask!)
Technical Manuals
These are for the more technical readers, often at graduate
level, and may cover the complete setup of a software system, for
example.
Support Manuals
These would be for Help Desk staff, who need to know how
the overall system should be set up, and including total support
information. This would normally include Technical and User Manual
content.
Training Manuals
Written for your training staff, providing you with
material for training other users of equipment or systems; or they may
just complement your own Customer Training process.
Working one-to-one with clients, variations can be
discussed. |