What is an Instruction Manual?
An Instruction Manual is a type of user guide known as a user manual or instruction manual. It is written by a technician, product or service developer for the end-user of the product, and written to give instruction that how to use a product or instruction related to the product.
Most of the manual contain text & images, which gives a clear idea of the product by visualizing images and diagrams. An instruction manual is a helpful and very important document for the end-user, which helps to solve the problem where the user gets stuck.
Types of Manuals
Manuals are very important part or document for the product, and these are divided into many types:
i) User Manual
A user manual is a type of manual which explains to the end-user of a product that how to use a product or it is used as a reference or guide of a product.
ii) Policy Manuals
Policy Manuals are written to explain the policy and rules of the product or the organization.
iii) Training Manuals
Training Manuals are written for the people who are new in an organization or in a company. And it is used to provide organizational guidance for the new people.
iv) Procedure Manuals
A procedure manual explains that how the work activity of the product to be performed in a procedure or structured way.
v) Maintenance and Service Manuals
Service and Maintenance type of manuals are written to provide instructions or steps that help that how to repair or maintain a product.
How to Write Instruction Manual
i) Table of Content
While writing a manual make table of content for the user. It helps easy to find the instruction or solution of the problem which a user is facing.
ii) Clear Objective
Took a clear objective for the user that what your instruction manual is going to cover.
iii) What to Include
For writing a good or effective manual include every information, steps, instructions, etc. related to the product. And you must have the knowledge that what you are going to include into the manual.
iv) Think like a User
It is another very important point while writing a manual that think like a user means that if you are a user of the product, So what are the problem you can face.
v) Clear Instruction
In the instruction manual give clear and to the point instruction which helps user to easily or very fast solve the problem which they are facing. Or if required use a numeric list which helps end-user that what are the step which they take after one step.
vi) Structured
Keep a manual in a structured or organized way which helps the user that what are the first problems they can face, then medium or then high-level problems.
