Comments on: Brochures vs. Manuals

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:17:17 +0000

I wrote a few computer game manuals in days of yore. I think the reason I don’t get asked is that marketing folk (who I mainly deal with) don’t get involved in product development or customer support AT ALL. I think this is the point you are making. Marketing shouldn’t stop once the product has been sold (and customer support shouldn’t wait until then either).

By: Janet Swisher

Janet Swisher — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:10:48 +0000

Kathy Sierra had a previous post on “Why marketing should make the manuals” http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/08/why_marketing_s.html (where she first used that graphic).

Technical writing is generally considered a distinct skill set from marketing writing, which is probably why you’ve never been asked to do it. The best of both kinds of writing put the reader’s needs at the center, but those needs are different before and after the sale.

Manuals don’t have to be flashy or colorful to be effective, but failing to meet the reader’s needs is how they become dull, confusing, dry, and boring. The cost of bad marketing writing is painfully visible as sales that never happen. The cost of bad technical writing is hidden in increased support calls and lost repeat sales.

By: Zach Everson

Zach Everson — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:56:59 +0000

I’ve written and edited a few manuals and they required more work than any other document on which I’ve worked. I insist on having access to the product the manual is for and testing out the instructions as I work. More times than not, steps are missing or out of order. The effort just often isn’t there for post-sale documents.

By: Matthew Stibbe

Matthew Stibbe — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 18:36:19 +0000

Completely agree. Usability is very important. I always thought that Apple did great manuals in the old days. The manuals for my first few Macs and, indeed, Inside Macintosh for programmers, were excellent. Also, again back in the 90s, Maxis did great manuals for its games. Hard to think of another great manual off the top of my head.

By: John Whiteside

John Whiteside — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:15:59 +0000

The basic point - that the post-sale communications and experiences should be as carefully designed as those before the sale - is an excellent one. But I always wince when I see people comparing a manual to a brochure and commenting that it’s plain, it’s black and white, it’s not sassy and sexy like the brochure.

These aren’t legitimate complaints, because what makes a user love a manual isn’t its slickness, it’s the manual’s usability. There are few things more irritating to a user than a manual that’s pretty but unhelpful.

There’s nothing wrong with colorful manuals (except perhaps the cost of producing them in the required quantities) but before even worrying about that, how about making sure it’s incredibly thorough, that it has a great index so that one can find the information one needs rapidly, that it includes every possible FAQ and troubleshooting situation, and that it fits neatly both on a bookshelf or in a file folder? Those are things that make a product manual something to love.