Writing and Designing Manuals, Third Edition PDF

Rating: (1 reviews) Author: Patricia A. Robinson ISBN : 9781566703789 New from $19.46 Format: PDF

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A survival guide for writers in the real-world, Writing and Designing Manuals, Third Edition has become a standard reference for technical writers and editors. Readable and practical, it addresses all aspects of manual development from choosing a format to writing effective warnings. Not limited to text elements, the manual also provides guidance for designing illustrations to complement the text and underscore the safety warnings.
The completely revised and updated Third Edition includes:
Þ Current materials on desktop publishing
Þ Alternative media such as videos, CD-ROMs, and on-line help
Þ The impact of new technology such as CD-ROMs and digital cameras on manual design and production
Þ New regulations for products sold overseas
Þ Impact of the Internet on manual design
Gone are the days when a manual might be a few pages of typewritten text. Thanks to the advances in computer technology, even tiny companies can produce slick, professional publications. Writing and Designing Manuals, Third Edition guides you through the messy, complex, frustrating, and fascinating business of producing manuals.

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• Product Details
• Table of Contents
• Reviews

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 3 edition (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566703786
• ISBN-13: 978-1566703789
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

Writing and Designing Manuals, Third Edition PDF

Overview
The first chapter may seem a bit preachy at first, about how manual writers are underappreciated and overlooked by companies. But reading between these lines, you can get a good overview about which factors play a part in writing a manual. And those are a lot more factors then I first realized. To write a good manual, a technical writer needs access to all information about the product, from the programming to the production process, to the helpdesk set up.

The book covers almost every one of these aspects of writing a manual.
* How to structure a manual
* Selecting what is important about a product to put in the manual
* How to write and use the proper language for a manual
* Graphics, photographs, exploded views, diagrams, tables
* Lay out, the impact of the placing text and images
* Manual user analysis

There are even chapters on less obvious things, like the materials on which the manual will be printed, on translating and international conventions, and a chapter fully dedicated to the differences between service manuals and operator manuals, as well as an equal amount of details on how to write each of these.

The good
The book describes quite effectiverly about how a manual is a designed product, and not just something extra. Take for example how the environment the manual will be used in affects the writing of the manual. In case of the manual being used whilst the user is also using the product, the manual should be as direct as possible. No references, no turning of pages, no extra places to look up information.

There is a good and revelating chapter on product and company liability and lawsuits.