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How to Create Step-by-Step User Guides In 2023 📕
Learn how to create step-by-step user guide templates in 2023 with this comprehensive guide. This blog post covers everything you need to know, from identifying your audience to using visuals and screenshots to make your instructional guides clear and concise. We also recommend a few tools and best practices that can help you create user guides quickly and easily.
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Chrissy DiBrigida
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Use Cases for Step-By-Step User Guides📝
Here's how you could be using user guides to better you business operations and get ahead of learning curves:
Employee onboarding: Step-by-step instructions can help new employees learn about their new role and responsibilities. They can also be used to train new employees on how to use company systems and software.
Customer onboarding: Step-by-step instructions can help customers get started with a new product or service. They can also be used to answer common questions and troubleshoot problems.
Better software adoption: Step-by-step instructions can help users learn how to use new software effectively. They can also be used to provide support for users who are struggling to use the software.
Overall knowledge sharing: Step-by-step instructions can be used to share knowledge within an organization. They can be used to document processes, procedures, and best practices.
How to Create Instructional User Guides 🎨
Now you know all the ways to use step-by-step instructions here's the best wya to build user guides and some key elements to include.
Make guides task-oriented: This means organizing the content of your user guide around the tasks that users need to complete. For example, if you are writing a user guide for a software application, you might have sections on how to create a new document, how to edit a document, how to save a document, and so on.
Use a modular approach: This means breaking the user guide down into smaller, self-contained modules that can be easily navigated. This will make it easier for users to find the information they need quickly.
Include visuals: Use diagrams, screenshots, and videos to illustrate the steps in a task. This will help users understand the information more easily.
Write procedural steps: Describe the steps in a task in a clear and concise way. Use numbered lists and bullet points to make the steps easy to follow.
Use references: Provide a reference section for users to look up specific information. This could include a glossary of terms, a list of keyboard shortcuts, or a table of contents.
Include a FAQ section. Answer frequently asked questions about the product or service. This will help users find the information they need quickly and easily.
Looking for a tool that does all this for you?
Driveway is a tool that can help you create user guides quickly and easily. With Driveway's chrome extension, you can record your screen as you perform a task. Driveway will automatically generate step-by-step instructions and a screenshot guide for you. Driveway also includes features for adding visuals, comments, and annotations to your instructions. Here's what a Driveway user guide looks like:
Benefits of Creating Step-By-Step Guides 👍
Improved knowledge sharing: Step-by-step instructions make knowledge easily accessible, which can help to reduce the time and effort spent searching for information.
Higher levels of collaboration: Step-by-step instructions can help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.
Streamlined onboarding experience: Step-by-step instructions can help to make the onboarding process for new employees more efficient and effective.
Better process documentation: Step-by-step instructions can help to ensure that processes are documented in a consistent and accurate way, which can help to improve efficiency and compliance.
Enhanced quality control and fewer errors: Step-by-step instructions can help to ensure that tasks are completed correctly, which can help to reduce errors and improve quality.
Conclusion ✅
User guides are a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. By leveraging digital adoption tools like Driveway, you and your team can create step-by-step instructions quickly and easily. Document processes, train new employees, and help customers use products and services more efficiently with the help of user guides built by Driveway.