1. Components of a Quickstart Guide
Know what you want the guide to accomplish
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List steps: Sequence or separate tasks?
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Incorporate visuals into your quickstart guide
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2. How to Develop Your Quickstart Guide
Base your quickstart guide on your user manual
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Base your quickstart guide on input from users
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3. Best Writing Practices for a Quickstart Guide
Address your user directly
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Identify the overall purpose of the guide by explaining the outcome
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Write clear headings
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Begin each step with a verb
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Provide context or notes before steps, not within them
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Use plain language
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Use consistent formatting
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Challenge: Revise a quickstart guide
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Solution: Revise a quickstart guide
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4. Check Your Quickstart Guide for Accuracy and Usefulness
Ask a subject matter expert to review your quickstart guide
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Ask users to review your quickstart guide
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Glossary_TechnicalWritingQuickstartGuides.zip
(1000 KB)
Ex_Files_Technical_Writing_Quick_Start_Guides.zip
(1.0 MB)