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User documentation is a vital component of customer support and product usability, as it helps mitigate common challenges users face, like navigating new software, understanding product functionalities, or troubleshooting issues.
User documentation examples in the form of step-by-step guides, FAQs, manuals, and video tutorials empower users to solve problems independently, which enhances their overall experience and satisfaction.
A study from Microsoft says that more than 90% of consumers expect brands to offer an online portal for self-service support, highlighting the growing preference for accessing information at one’s own pace and convenience.
In this blog, we will explore the types of user documentation and some examples from real brands. We will also discuss how user documentation software can help.
These comprehensive documents provide detailed information about all product or service aspects. They cover everything from basic operations to advanced features, usually in a structured format with an index for easy navigation.
These are crucial for helping users understand the full capabilities of a product and how to utilize them effectively.
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These guides are accessible directly through the internet or a product interface. They provide interactive and searchable assistance to users, often organized by topics or features.
These are beneficial for software applications where users might need quick help while using the product.
They offer visual and auditory explanations of using a product or performing specific tasks. They are effective for demonstrating complex processes or for users who are visual learners.
They engage users more effectively than text-based instructions and are often used with other documentation types.
These address common concerns, problems, or queries users might have by serving as a quick reference guide. These aim to provide immediate answers to usual issues or questions, making them a crucial resource for reducing customer support workload.
These guides provide specific instructions on installing or setting up a product. They help ensure users get a product up and running with minimal hassle. These usually include troubleshooting tips to help users resolve common issues that might arise during the installation process.
These are similar to user manuals but often focus more on the product’s specifications, maintenance, and care than just how to use it. These manuals may include detailed technical information, safety warnings, warranty information, and manufacturer contact information.
These accompany new product versions and detail the updates, bug fixes, and new features included in the release. They are vital for users who must stay informed about the product’s evolution and those managing software updates in a professional environment.
These resources help users diagnose and resolve problems they encounter with a product. These could include step-by-step troubleshooting guides, diagnostic tools, and tips on common errors and their solutions.
These guides provide a concise overview of how to start using a product immediately. They convey the essential actions necessary to get started, which is ideal for users who prefer to dive in directly without going through detailed manuals.
These guides are handy for relatively simple products or providing an initial introduction before more in-depth use.
These are extensive repositories of articles, how-to guides, and resources about a product or service. They are usually searchable and categorized to help users find information quickly.
A knowledge base can be an invaluable self-service tool, allowing users to solve problems and learn about a product at their own pace.
Now that we’ve discussed the basics of user documentation, it’s time to see it in action.
In this section, we’ll look at 12 stunning user manuals, user documentation, and user guide examples that will inspire and guide you to create something similar for your customers.
ManageEngine adopts a highly structured and informative writing approach, catering effectively to its technical audience. The page is organized into clearly defined sections, starting with prerequisites and detailed step-by-step installation instructions for various operating systems.
Each section has precise, bullet-pointed information and links to additional resources and demo videos, enhancing understanding and accessibility. This ensures that users can follow along easily and find specific information quickly, making the installation process straightforward and user-friendly.
CDS Convert features a simple and concise writing style, targeting users who need quick, clear instructions. The minimalistic documentation focuses primarily on step-by-step guidance broken down into numbered steps, simplifying the user process.
This approach is complemented by direct language and the inclusion of crucial tips and cautions, ensuring users are aware of critical considerations before proceeding. Using relevant screenshots alongside each step enhances visual understanding and aids in executing the tasks accurately.
Riscure adopts a detailed and technical writing style for a specialized audience familiar with security testing concepts. The page is well-organized, with content divided into specific sections that include an overview, detailed descriptions, and step-by-step procedures for using perturbation logs.
Each section uses clear, concise language with technical precision, ensuring the information is accessible and comprehensive. The format supports easy navigation with clear headings, bullet points for crucial information, and occasional links to related topics, enhancing the reader’s ability to quickly locate and understand complex information pertinent to security testing techniques.
Ahrefs, the SEO expert, provides comprehensive user documentation as part of its product offering. Its help center has a prominent search bar at the center of the page, inviting you to start searching for content.
Below the search bar is a list of categories, starting with a Getting Started guide to help new users get up and running quickly. The best part is that the search bar sticks to the top even if you scroll down, allowing you to search for content anytime.
Ahrefs focuses on a simple interface that doesn’t show any categories apart from the breadcrumbs at the top of the article.
Microsoft provides extensive user documentation through Microsoft Docs to support its diverse offerings. Upon visiting Microsoft Docs, you are greeted with a search bar on the homepage with suggestions for articles, training, and code samples.
Recognizing the diverse needs of its user base, Microsoft organizes its documentation by product filters. This can be helpful, especially if you know what you want. Once you navigate to a specific category, Microsoft displays solutions, scenarios, and resources to guide you.
All articles in the category are displayed on the left-hand side for easy reference. On the right-hand side, a table of contents lets users see all article sections and jump to the relevant section.
The graphic design platform’s interface is straightforward, with a prominent search bar in the top center for effortless navigation. Canva’s homepage provides a simple overview of the knowledge base content.
The quick start section is well-structured, with images assisting instructions for better understanding. Canva also enables support by providing a link to create a support ticket at the top of the page.
You can easily navigate to other content in the user documentation at the end of each page. Visitors and customers can also get the option to rate the page’s helpfulness, providing valuable feedback for Canva’s team.
The video and voice call expert stands out for its clean and simple design, allowing easy navigation. Skype’s documentation has quick links for managing your Skype account, FAQs, troubleshooting tips, and information for new user onboarding.
All this information is conveniently located on a single central platform, making it easy to find the needed information. Its ability to sort articles for different products like Skype for Web, Android, and many more sets it apart. This feature ensures you find relevant information tailored to your specific product use.
Skype’s highly interactive user documentation encourages you to share ideas and give suggestions to help improve the support experience. This downloadable user guide includes detailed instructions, technical guides, and quick-start guides to get the most out of Skype.
Slack’s help center is easy to navigate due to its stand-out search bar and suggested, frequently searched articles.
Besides the search bar, Slack’s help center also features six sections that provide various information about its offerings.
These sections include everything from starting with Slack to enhancing feature knowledge and accessing tips and tricks to make the most of the platform.
LEAP’s legal software tools help small law firms with case management, billing, and document automation. The company’s user documentation is welcoming and easy to navigate, with a distinguished search bar at the center of the page and suggested, frequently searched articles located right below it.
The home page of its user documentation is well structured, featuring six different and essential sections. These sections cover its offerings and let you access a variety of tips and tricks to get the most out of it.
Its consistent color scheme of blue and white is used across all pages. Most of its how-to content is presented in bullet points, making the articles clear and comprehensible.
YouTube’s user documentation shows how to provide a seamless self-service experience through clean design and rich information.
The documentation is simple yet detailed, with broad categories on the home page, each containing five to six subsections. Clicking on any section directs you to the respective article page, which offers complete information on the topic.
Its documentation feedback option sets it apart. You can provide suggestions regarding the help center or specific help content. This helps YouTube improve its support experience based on user feedback continuously.
Airspan’s Mimosa Networks is a market leader in wireless broadband solutions. It enables service providers across the globe to make the Internet more accessible to urban and rural households alike.
Mimosa Networks provides comprehensive user documentation to help you understand and effectively use its offerings. The first thing you’ll notice is the notable search bar located at the center of the page.
Mimosa’s all-in-one documentation has everything under one roof – FAQs, troubleshooting guides, installation guides, and product specifications.
SurveyMonkey’s Help Center provides a clean interface with comprehensive resources. It has six main categories under the search bar and a brief guide for new users. It also provides quick links to the latest resources and most viewed articles.
It shines at clear organization of topics, making it convenient for you to find relevant information. Each piece presents detailed information about the subject, assisted by a screen-recorded video and textual content.
SurveyMoney’s dual format caters to visual learners and those who prefer text. Moreover, all content is easily skimmable, allowing busy users to find solutions to their queries quickly.
User documentation guides users through the complexities of a product and improves their overall experience by empowering them with the knowledge to use the product effectively.
From detailed user manuals to quick-start guides and interactive online help centers, various user documentation types serve a broad spectrum of needs and learning styles.
A user documentation software tool like ProProfs Knowledge Base can be a great starting point. It has an easy-to-use interface with an AI-enabled text editor to make it easy for you to create and manage user documentation.
It supports importing and exporting various file formats – you can import Word documents, Excel sheets, presentations, and more into their knowledge base. You can also export the content into a zip file and re-import it to the knowledge base if needed.
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