The Technical Writer’s deliverables
User Manual (aka User’s Manual or User Guide) and Software Documentation
At LearnTechWritingFast.com my objective is to get you familiar with how to write a user manual and Guides for software applications as quickly as possible. As mentioned earlier this course primarily targets what is known as User Assistance (UA for short). This is the primary role of a Technical Writer in the IT industry.
As part of the job a Technical Writer is responsible for the following deliverables –
Software User Manual or Software User Guide for software applications delivered in a variety of formats and these include:
Online Help (Help deployed on the internet that can be accessed via an internet browser and also called Webhelp). Online help or webhelp is a very popular format for online applications. It also goes by the name Nethelp.
HTML help for your desktop applications. Older versions of Windows software use a system called Winhelp though Winhelp is has almost faded into oblivion. Microsoft has already retired Winhelp.
Compiled HTML (.chm file or Chm file) for desktop applications, a successor to the older Winhelp
.pdf, .doc(x) format style documents
Print Manuals
E-books
EPUB (and most recently EPUB3) format documents which are similar to e-books but are readable on devices like the i-pad, Kindle and smartphones
KF8 or Kindle Format 8 for reading the document on the Kindle
Java help – Help for applications created using the Java language
Eclipse help – Help for applications created using Eclipse
Oracle help – Help for applications developed using Oracle.
Visual Studio Help – Help for applications created using Microsoft’s Visual Studio
Of the list, the final 4, i.e Java help, Eclipse and Visual Studio help and Oracle are the help files that are less frequently demanded. In several cases they are also developed by the developers of these applications, i.e programmers and developers creating applications using Java, Eclipse and Oracle.
To view samples of Technical Writing check out the Technical Writing Examples and Samples page.
Other types of Deliverables
Though User Guides primarily target the end user of the application, they can also be written specifically for niche areas. These include:
Admin guides (typically used by Administrators and these guides are not supplied to the end users as Admin functionality of an application is usually not disclosed to end users)
Installation and Deployment guides (unlike the free software that you download off the web and that which are simple to install, these guides instruct installers about complex and elaborate procedures that are typical of these software during installations)
How to’s (How to guides)
Troubleshooting guide
Knowledge bases
Company Policies and Procedures
HR Policies
Ready reckoners
Closely related tasks are the preparation of Training Guides (under the Instructional Designer and e-learning categories).
Note: With the existing course you will still be able to create User’s Manuals and Guides for non-software products such as those for electronic gadgets such as a DVD player, a Hi-Fi music system etc. It is just that for the images or illustrations (created with applications such as AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Illustrator, Photoshop or others), your client will have to provide them to you in formats that are discussed in the course.
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