For Software Products Only

By Jodi Gonzalez

User Manual Template

Logo

Company Name & Address

REVISION HISTORY
VERSION DATE DESCRIPTION UPDATED BY

1.0

Draft Initial Documentation

Jodi Gonzalez

Copyright 2010 By Jodi Gonzalez [specify name of company or author] Manila, Philippines All Rights Reserved

This document is owned and proprietary to Jodi Gonzalez [name of company or author] and intended for internal use only. Use of this document is strictly for informational and non-commercial use only and will not be copied or posted on any online workstation or broadcast in any media without a written permission. Use for any other purpose is expressly prohibited and may result in civil and/or criminal proceedings. No modifications of any part should be made without prior written permission. No logo, graphic, or image may be copied unless permitted by its author/owner, Jodi Gonzalez [name of company or author]. (Include also disclaimers, trademark or proprietary claims, not-for-retail warning, and warranty notifications if necessary)

Table of Contents
The table of contents must be system generated. For assistance, refer to Microsoft Words Help module and, at the search box, type Table of Contents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................................................................3 PREFACE/FOREWORD (OPTIONAL)..............................................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................5 OBJECTIVES.....................................................................................................................................................5 SCOPES...........................................................................................................................................................5 DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS.................................................................................................................................5 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS....................................................................................................................................6 OPTIONAL INFORMATION...................................................................................................................................6 CONTACT US...................................................................................................................................................6 GETTING STARTED.............................................................................................................................................7 INSTALLING THE SYSTEM [NAME OF SOFTWARE]....................................................................................................7 CONFIGURING THE SYSTEM [NAME OF SOFTWARE].................................................................................................7 REGISTERING INTO THE SYSTEM [NAME OF SOFTWARE]..........................................................................................8 LOGGING IN THE SYSTEM [NAME OF SOFTWARE]...................................................................................................8 LOGGING OUT THE SYSTEM [NAME OF SOFTWARE]................................................................................................8 CHANGING PASSWORDS.....................................................................................................................................9 FAMILIARIZING THE [NAME OF SOFTWARE] HOME SCREEN......................................................................................9 NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM...........................................................................................................................10 ADDING A CUSTOMER.....................................................................................................................................11 EDITING A CUSTOMER.....................................................................................................................................11 DELETING A CUSTOMER..................................................................................................................................11 APPENDIX.............................................................................................................................................................12 GLOSSARY (OPTIONAL)..................................................................................................................................13 INDEX (OPTIONAL)...........................................................................................................................................14

Preface/Foreword (Optional)
ontains special notes, incidents, clarifications, background information, and conditions surrounding the development of the user manual or system. This is usually written by the author of the User Manual and/or the developer(s) of the system. In some cases, a person of importance is invited to share views with respect to the system or user manual. This chapter may also include people that the author or developer(s) wishes to congratulate or thank for their contributions in the development of either or both the user manual and system. Note: There is no absolute rule on what may exactly contain in Prefaces or Forewords. Contents may vary depending on what the author deems necessary.

Introduction
rite a short introduction describing the application software and a review of its essential features or new features if the software is an enhancement of an older version. If the software information is too extensive or derived from a separate volume, lift only the most essential parts that best describe the software and appropriate for this manual. Suggested openings for an introduction are as follows: Greetings! You are now a proud owner (or user) of the (software)... Welcome to the world of (software)... Presenting the newest release of (manufacturer name)

Objectives
What purpose was the software developed for? What triggered its development? Why is it needed? What does it aim to achieve?

Scopes
Scope of System What is the technical background of the system? Scope of Accessibility Who are the systems common users? Scope of Target Milestones What are the benefits of the system? Scope of Work Who developed the system? How?

Document Conventions
What conventions are used in this manual? Examples: Special symbols or characters used to refer to a specific item. Text styles such as bold, italics or underline used to emphasize a topic or item such as headers, sub-headers, books, documents, proper nouns, URLs, domains, etc. Text colors to differentiate groups of data. Graphics such as icons, logos, connectors, arrows, and other images used to describe processes and diagrams. Figures such as boxes to isolate warnings and notifications.

Logo

Company name

Introduction

System Requirements
Enumerate and describe the hardware required to run the system (applicable for software products) such as server and workstation specifications, external drives and storages, accessories, etc. Specify compatibility issues with OS brands and versions, graphics and data limitations in relation with other software, database format conflicts with other databases, and interfaces used to run the system.

Footnote numbering and symbols.

Optional Information
License Agreement Place notes, warnings, cautions, and danger notifications with respect to software licensing, permitted uses of the software, and warranties. Reference Information Place a list of information related to the manual which typically are presented in another book or documentation. Reference information is often presented in tables, columnar lists of settings, descriptions, variables, parameters, flags, etc.

Contact Us
Indicate any contact numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, websites, and/or other source of information where users can inquire about the system and/or user manual.

User Manual Template

Page

Getting Started

his chapter should provide introductory information on the setup of the system such as software installation and configuration, registration and logon procedures, brief tutorials, navigation guide, and other information that may be significant to the user. It may also contain captured images and diagrams as a way of effectively describing the system.

Installing the System [name of software]

This section should guide the user on how to install the software from an installer disk or file. A sample procedure is provided below.
To install the system, do the following procedures: 1. Insert installer disk into the disk drive and wait until the Install Wizard appears (see figure 1).

2.
3.

Follow through the entire installation process as instructed. [Provide a step-by-step description of the entire process]. When completed, close the Install Wizard.

Configuring the System [name of software]

This section should describe the steps in configuring various areas of the system based on user requirements. All configurations may later become the default or standard configuration for all modules of the software. This procedure is usually done by a systems administrator especially in large corporate setups. Ideally, configuration setups appear as a separate document if there are security issues to be considered or if the information to be provided is too large to include in this manual. At times, as in complex systems, the manufacturer issues a separate manual dedicated for installation and configuration only. Areas that are commonly configured are as follows: System date and time Corporate logo and format User accessibility profile configuration System setup (this may consist of other sub-areas) System parameters (this may consist of other sub-areas) Report format (may vary depending on the type of report)

Logo

Company name

Getting Started

Registering into the System [name of software]

This section applies mostly for web-based applications where users are required to register first before gaining access to the system as in email engines, websites of special interests, and social networks. A sample process of registering into a corporate system is provided below.
To register into the system, do the following procedures: [Provide a step-by-step description of the entire process]. 1. 2. 3. 4. Type last, first, and middle name. Specify employee number and work position. Indicate department/division/section and office location. Tick box if employee is standard or power user. When completed, click .

Printer settings setup

5.

Logging In the System [name of software]

Once a user is registered, this section should guide the user on how to log on and off the system. A sample procedure in logging on is provided below:
To log on into the system, do the following procedures: [Provide a step-by-step description of the entire process].

1.

From the desktop screen, click [name of software] icon to invoke the [name of software] Login screen (see figure 1).

2.
field.

At the log in screen, type the assigned user ID in the User ID In the Password field, input password and click .

3. 4.

If login fails, an error message appears (see figure 2). Repeat step 4 until log in is successful. [For additional information, include here possible reasons of a log in failure].

Logging Out the System [name of software]

This process is simply the opposite of the previous section. However, there are many ways of logging out of a system. The most common ways are as follows: 1. Click the Windows standard Close button to close the system. to not only log out but also

2. Click a log out or sign off button that may be available in the screen.

User Manual Template

Page

Logo

Company name

Getting Started

3.

Type the word LOG OUT in a field provided in the Home screen.

Either way, the system usually displays a message box asking for confirmation whether to continue to log out and exit the system or simply just to log out. If this occurs, instruct the user to confirm and click Ok button.

Changing Passwords
Passwords can be changed by the user or by a systems administrator. If the system is configured to allow the user to change passwords, provide a step-bystep account of the process. Otherwise, direct the user to confer with a system administrator for assistance.

Familiarizing the [name of software] Home Screen

Capture an image of the system home screen and label each part using arrows and connectors. Below it, list the names of each label as referred to in the diagram. A sample diagram is shown below.

Make sure that all corners of the home screen are labeled and described. Any detail left out will make the entire user manual inaccurate hence unusable.

User Manual Template

Page

Navigating the System

his chapter should provide all processes involved in the system. The very essence of a user manual is to guide a user on how to navigate through a system and operate its different modules. The challenge to the author is ensure that the user does not get lost and the procedures are clear and easy to understand. The more complex the system is, the greater the challenge. Navigation is easier for a user if all modules are defined according to functions or areas. For instance, records management may have several functions involved such as adding or appending, editing or updating, and removing or deleting. Thus, instead of saying Managing Records, go directly to the key point of interest such as Adding Records, Editing Records, or Deleting Records. There are many common computer- and business-related verbs that are used to describe functions. Some suggested verbs are as follows:
ACTIVATING ACCESSING ADDING ALIGNING ANALYZING APPENDING APPLYING APPROVING ASSIGNING ATTACHING AUTHORIZING BROWSING CALCULATING CHANGING COMPOSING COMPUTING CONTROLING CREATING DELETING DESIGNING DETERMINING DEVELOPING DISBURSING DOCUMENTING EDITING ENHANCING ENTERING EXITING FILING GENERATING HIGHLIGHTING INPUTTING JUSTIFYING LIQUIDATING LISTING LOGGING MAINTAINING MANAGING MONITORING MOVING OPENING ORDERING PLACING PURCHASING QUEUING RECORDING REGISTERING REMOVING REPLACING REPLENISHING REPORTING REQUESTING RETURNING REVIEWING REVISING SAVING SEARCHING SELECTING SHOWING SORTING STARTING SUBMITTING SYNCHRONIZING SCROLLING TRANSACTING UPDATING USING VALIDATING

VERIFYING
VIEWING

Likewise, when using verbs to describe actions that suggest ways to interact with a computer, use the following suggested verbs:
CLICK DO DOUBLE-CLICK DRAW ENTER FILL IN/UP HIGHLIGHT HOLD INDICATE INPUT KEY IN MAGNIFY PAGE UP/DOWN PERFORM PRESS RETURN SCROLL SELECT SPECIFY STATE TYPE VIEW WAIT WRITE ZOOM IN/OUT

Logo

Company name

Navigating the System

System navigation is the heart of the user manual because it is here where all functions of the system are tackled. Depending on how topics are classified, functions may be written as separate chapters or retained under the title Navigating the System with only sub-topics as dividers. For the purpose of this discussion, the latter is used. Using the sub-topics below as a guide, create as many sub-topics as needed.

Adding a Customer
This section should guide the user on how to add a customer into the system. State the procedures exactly how the system behaves. No sample offered.

Editing a Customer
This section should guide the user on how to edit a customer into the system. State the procedures exactly how the system behaves. No sample offered.

Deleting a Customer
This section should guide the user on how to delete a client into the system. State the procedures exactly how the system behaves. No sample offered.

User Manual Template

Page

11

Appendix
This chapter may contain any of the following: Tables Charts Matrices List of figures List of diagrams List of error messages List of troubleshooting procedures List of sub-routines

Glossary (Optional)
This chapter should contain definitions to technical terms that are not common to nontechnical users or non-technical terms that are nonetheless not common in general.

Index (Optional)
This chapter should contain key words or phrases and the pages where they can be easily found. This helps users to quickly search specific topics that may not be indicated in the table of contents. However, key words and phrases must be marked as Index Entries during the development of the user manual in order to automatically generate the Index page. For assistance, refer to Microsoft Words Help module and, at the search box, type Creating an Index.