CMS Author MikeRivers Posted December 24, 2006 CMS Author Share Posted December 24, 2006 Originally posted by Todzilla Gripe #1. Owners manuals are largely written as though they are read cover to cover. False. Owners manuals should be written for the more frequent occurrence of a user needing reference information quickly. That sounds good in theory, but the writer doesn't know who he's writing for. Some users might have a fair amount of famiiliarity with similar programs or devices and don't need to start from square one. Others may not have a clue. I favor the Quick Start plus Reference Guide model. If you don't need the quick start guide, you can set it aside. But if you don't have any idea what you got, that should at least guide you through getting some sound out of it (assuming that's what it's supposed to do). Gripe #2. Owners manuals that have not indexed every menu option are committing an unforgiveable sin. That can get awfully messy. I like menu trees that show you how to get to a function. I think that menu functions should be indexed, and explained in detail. For example, when I get to the point where I can select among several options, I want to be able to read what each option does, what it means, and give me some guidance to help me choose the correct optoin for my setup. That's something that's often missing from manuals. They assume that if you've gone that far, you must know what your'e doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IanKemmish Posted December 31, 2006 Members Share Posted December 31, 2006 "The problem is simple: A manual is frozen in time; a high-tech product isn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 2, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 2, 2007 > ...until Microsoft comes up with another service pack, or Apple updates QuickTime, or some outside program that works with the high tech product comes up with an "improvement" that breaks the performance... I know what you're saying, but a huge part of the problem is that high-tech products don't exist in a vacuum. I have a printer, for example, that works perfectly with an Apple G4 but not a G5. The printer hasn't changed -- the environment it works in has! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chipmcdonald Posted January 18, 2007 Members Share Posted January 18, 2007 Ideally if a device is well designed the manual would probably be easy to write, I would think. Thinking about it, Roland's big problem I think is being limited by their LCD displays, and having not properly thought through how they're going to implement the interface with that display. I think software manuals don't have an excuse. If the program follows the most user-friendly process of doing something, it should be almost intuitive. Then the manual should be arranged based on tasks, not features. Personally, I like footnotes for more detail. Keeps it out of the way of the simple explanation; and it the writer is smart, he can write from the standpoint of "what would the more advanced user be thinking at this point?" and then add a footnote/reference there. That approach would prevent a lot of obfuscation right there I believe. Manuals vacillate between "we're being user friendly!" and "we're being comprehensive!"..... Comprehensive details are seldom desired in bulk form, IMO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jamie K Posted January 23, 2007 Members Share Posted January 23, 2007 Hey Craig, long time no see... Good points about doc updating problems. I've also written some software manuals along the way and keeping them current is always a challenge. The last few I did as either HTML or PDF, with periodic downloadable updates. Saved a lot of trees. :^) Here's an example of a manual (not one of mine) done in a sort of blog format for constant updating, perhaps somewhat as you are envisioning: http://www.u-he.com/zebra/manual/ It's for Zebra 2, an excellent soft synth. Cheers, -Jamie www.JamieKrutz.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted January 24, 2007 Members Share Posted January 24, 2007 Yes, a "Wiki Manual" approach would be a great idea. This very idea would've saved me the four or five days of mystification I describe in my parallel thread here called SOLVE THIS WAV MYSTERY FOR ME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dylan Walters Posted January 24, 2007 Members Share Posted January 24, 2007 Great thread! One potent ional drawback for an Internet-based manual is that you're DAW would have to be online. I guess you could export it to a PDF and then either move it over or print it out... The main drawback that I've found with most manuals is that they only go over functionality and ignore work-flow and tutorials. If someone is new to sequencers then they should have a project walk-through that will start from hooking up their gear, selecting inputs, settings levels, enabling tracks, etc. I have yet to see a manual that does this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.