Manuals are useless. They don’t respond to the user’s needs. Users need help to troubleshoot their problems. That’s all! Let’s design the (perfect) troubleshooting topic!
…and stop writing useless documentation!
When could the customer be tempted to open the manual? When he’s faced with a problem (and only then). Which solution do we offer to the end-user in stead? Long, wordy guides full of recommendations he already knows! “Attention! Coffee cup is hot!” or “To get started, press the green button” or “To brake, press the brake pedal“. All useless information.
Customers don’t open the manual. And they are right. They know they won’t find the info they need there. Users have to go through hundreds of pages before they discover a beginning of a solution to their problem… hidden in a tiny note at the bottom of page 529!
Searching for pertinent information
Where is our end-user looking for valuable info? Neither in the manual, nor in the PDF… but on the Web. While technical writers lose 40% of their time formatting their Word document, users turn to other information channels. They no longer wait for the hotline to provide an answer, they switch to social media: “…customers led us beyond the 800 help line to self-service options, online forums, e-mail or chat” (HP Customer Support).
Which information is expected on Social Media?
Organizations are already massively investing in social media support. “Our social media support agents can handle up to 40 percent more customers per day than our phone agents. The average handle time for Facebook and Twitter is three times quicker than chat and twice as fast as phone support” (Hewlett-Packard Social Media Manager).
Customers appreciate concise and efficient Troubleshooting information. Can we, as information developers, cope?
Yes, we can! If we provide helpful information
- tailored to the end-user’s needs
- located in the right place, at the right time and in the right format.
What does the end-user need? Troubleshooting information!
To solve problems, the troubleshooting information must ensure the end-user understands
- the situation: he made a mistake (Error recognition) ,
- the cause of this error (Diagnosis),
- the solution (Recovery).
Based on these points, the DITA 1.3 Troubleshooting topic guidelines help to design useful instructions on how to solve a problem. And since DITA topics are XML-based, they are extremely modular, adaptable to each device and to each publication format: paper, mobile, Web, Twitter, IoT (Internet Of Things) such as Smart Watch and Smart glasses.
Want to talk about designing effective Troubleshooting information? Join us June 8, 2016 in Utrecht at Information Energy!
''Manuals are useless''
Sr Technical Writer & Instructor,
Awel-A-Ben
Let’s design the (perfect) troubleshooting topic!
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