User manual creator software free download

As he has some resources in-house, he does not want to outsource the full development of the manual. I decided to walk him through the entire process and developed an instruction manual template for him. In a few emails, I told him exactly what to do and how to use the relevant user manual template for his product type, step-by-step. The results are as follows:. This article describes exactly the steps we followed.

Although Philip used one of our paid templates, I have made a free template that you can use to achieve exactly the same results. There is only one difference. The paid templates already contain the mandatory legal parts for machinery , toys, electrical equipment or medical devices , which means that you can skip step 6.

The free template is a more generic one. When you choose to use the free one, make sure to follow the instructions from step 6. You can download the free template here:. Take the shortest way to a compliant manual. We have developed user manual templates for machinery, toys, medical devices and electronics that contain all legal content. Before actually using the User Manual Template and the other tools that I developed for Philip, I wanted to make sure we have the same starting point.

I provided him with some general information about user instructions and with some good examples of existing user manuals. A user manual is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people on how to use a product. A good user manual assists users on how to use a product safely, healthily and effectively. Besides the primary goal of a user manual to assist a user , secondary goals could be creating a better user experience and meeting legal requirements.

A user manual consists of textual visual information illustrations, screenshots, tables etc. The user plays the central role when drawing up a user manual. A well-drafted user manual only provides that information that is relevant for the intended user of the product.

The user manual should contain both procedural information step-by-step instructions and conceptual information information the user needs in order to understand procedural information. A good user manual is concise and uses jargon-free language. They should contain information about what happens if a task is not done correctly. In some cases, a product is intended to be used by different types of users.

Typical user types are the end-user, installer, maintenance engineer and operator. Each user type needs a different approach in terms of language to be used, the tone of voice and provided conceptual information. Different kind of products need a user manual. A product can be a system, tool, device, an instrument, a piece of software or an app. Depending on the type of product, a user manual might include things as:.

The main tool that I developed in order to help Philip draw up his user manual is a User Manual Template. The template contains all the information and more from the list above.

It complies with the requirements for his product. The User Manual Template can be used for creating your manual for your system, tool, device, instrument, or for creating an installation manual, software manual, operational manual, maintenance manual or training manual. Based on the first template for Philip, we have developed templates for the following product groups:.

The user manual template is an MS Word document that can be printed or placed online. User manuals can be created using a variety of tools. Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. I will mention the most common tools below:.

While drafting a user manual with help of the User Manual Template, it can be handy to have some good examples. Through the following links you can download a user manual sample for documentation:. Ok, so now Philip has some basic knowledge about user manuals. When you want to write a manual that helps your user to solve problems, you first need to define who your user is.

This can be done by creating a user profile, also named a persona. With a persona, you make some reasonable assumptions about the characteristics of your user. This is not only useful for creating your user instructions, but it is an essential element at the start of the development of any product! As an educated industrial design engineer, this is how we started all our design assignments. You can use the template yourself to determine who your user is.

Action: Use the template to describe your user s. I am a HUGE fan of visualizing things. So if you want to take defining your user one step further, I would suggest you visualise your user in the form of a persona.

When creating a persona you are giving your user a name, age et cetera, so it becomes a real person that represents your user. Typical problems might include: installing the product, using the product, using the product safely, maintaining the product and disposing of the product.

I asked Philip to identify the problems and solutions that his user might encounter during the product lifecycle. In order to do so, I created another template for Philip.

Our user manual templates are compliant with this standard. Action: Use this template and the instructions on the first tab to identify the problems your user might have during the lifecycle of your product and present their solutions.

Philip has now identified the problems a user might have with his product during its lifecycle and he has now thought of the solution to solve the problem. In other words: Philip has defined the topics for his user manual. Each topic can only be about one specific subject, has an identifiable purpose, and must be able to stand alone.

A user wants to solve one problem at a time. A topic will become a section in the user manual. It can be a chapter or a sub- paragraph. As soon as a user is looking for an answer to his problem, he will use the table of contents to find out how to navigate to that answer.

I asked Philip to structure the topics and define their place in the user manual, by assigning a certain topic to a specific chapter or sub- paragraph.

You have now created the Table of Contents ToC. The ToC is the outline of your user manual. Tech manual? Then output code "as is" using code blocks. Use one Manula account to create and update multiple manuals , each with their own logos and colors. Manuals for different product versions can share most of the topics. Just copy and modify the topics that need updating.

Have multiple products that are similar or share features? Then create shared topics and include them in multiple manuals. Define variables with different values for each user guide , then include variables in shared topics to save more time. All new topics and topic updates are online instantly , either hosted on the manula. The layout of your live manuals automatically adapts to any screen size. Your online documentation will look great on desktops, tablets or phones.

The built-in search box gives your readers simple and fast searching , based on topic titles, topic body text and the keywords you defined. Let your readers rate your topics "Was this useful? Use these stats to improve your manuals. Easily customize the look and feel of your manual with your own colors and logos.

Perform further customizations using the Custom CSS feature. Manual Jul 16, After researching many options for creating, editing, and publishing online manuals it was obvious when comparing features and cost….. Manula is the winner! In a matter of minutes, anyone can create a manual, embed video, links, and images then publish it for access from any device. Here are a few examples of travel guides, style guides and more brought to life with our product.

These are just a few examples and you can create so much more with our cloud based guide maker. Build your business by creating and sharing digital guides that people want to read and share.

Using ecommerce buttons you can also direct your readers to landing pages where they can convert into buyers. Our software makes all this easy: just upload your PDF, then enhance it with links and rich media elements.

Flipsnack helps you share your knowledge with people from all over the world. With our tool you can share your content with people from all over the world. Make an interactive guide that readers want to flip through and build your community with our online digital guide creator.

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Compile standard Windows compiled help files in the CHM format without the steep learning curve. Fortunately, HelpNDoc encapsulates this outdated compiler in a straightforward user interface so that you can concentrate on writing the best possible user manual. The Microsoft Word DocX file format is one of the most used and versatile document format for editing purposes. HelpNDoc can convert the whole documentation to a single DocX document optionally RTF document which can be opened by any Word processing application available on the market.

Generate self-contained help files for multiple systems using the Qt Help Framework. HelpNDoc can leverage the Qt Help Framework to produce compressed, chm-like, help files for all the platforms supported by the Qt framework, making it extremely easy to publish documentation to a multitude of devices and systems. HelpNDoc makes the complicated process of help file generation simpler and more efficient. Only a few days were necessary to transform our papers in a fully integrated Help file.

I downloaded and tested quite a few of the "best" products and non held a candle. No other HTML creators out there come close in style, ease of use, and with such a reasonable price tag. Awesome product as I have been looking for something clean and easy to use and HelpNDoc is certainly it.