Product documentation gives the feeling that nobody has ever used the product. Most documentation:
Small lights for the home have gone through a bit of a dramatic change in recent years. Technology has progressed somewhat and now those fiddly filament bulbs that seemed to break with the slightest touch and trip the electricity as soon as a toaster was used at the same time have been replaced with a funky and efficient variety of light emitting diodes. Not only are these types of lights much more energy efficient saving up to 90% of energy used by the previous filament bulbs, but they last much longer and the glow they give out is much brighter too. They are also able to be handled without the threat of being broken! The way small lights are powered has changed too and nowadays it is possible to buy solar operated lights as well as battery operated packs. Battery powered lights in particular dramatically cut the amount of wires on display and enable the lights to be placed anywhere at all as there is no need for a power supply to be close by.By including the volume-setting information, the User would be more satisfied with the product, and thus less likely to return it.The Users of your product need to know how to get around its warts. Think about these warts, how to overcome them, and the best way to tell the User the techniques you find.3. Leaves out knowledge that experienced Users could share with the Reader. The people testing the product never set it to the Users' real-life volume settings (they did not test in Real USER life)And those are the things we want to do to help our company thrive.Computer language reference manuals are another good example of missed knowledge sharing. In many languages (for example the C or C++ languages in the UNIX environment) there are many ways to perform an operation. In computer jargon there are many different functions (or methods) that a programmer can use to do something with the computer. Yet these language manuals do not provide the knowledge that will help a programmer decide which function or method to use. The developers of the language know. It is only a matter of sharing the knowledge.If you do not think that your product has warts, then you may be living in a fantasy world. The entire concept of the "next version" of the product suggests failings in the product. If these shortcomings are not in the product itself, then they are failings in our understanding of how our User needs to/wants to use the product.1. Ignores the product's failings (warts), and how to overcome them2. Leaves out tips that would help the User in his/her experience with the ProductIt's my belief that selecting appropriate gifts is more than a pastime or entertainment. Choosing the right gift means knowing your recipient and what he or she needs and wants. There are times when whimsical gifts are fun and fanciful, but there are other times when practical gifts are the order of the day. For me, and for many of the people to whom I give presents, useful and practical gifts outshine ethereal gifts any day of the week.. A blood pressure monitor: Its User Manual provides a chart of blood pressure ranges and their meaning. That is good.. Leaves out tips that would improve the User's experience with the productI am sure that the company tested their FM transmitter. I am also sure that they were careful to set the volume on the audio source (MP3 player) low enough as not to distort. That is NOT a Real User life test.In real life, the User would set the volume for comfortable headphone listening. Then when connecting the device to the FM transmitter, the volume would be too loud and the sound from the FM radio would be distorted.The wonderful effect that fairy lights and LED lights have on the home and garden make them a year round decoration. LED Christmas lights continue to be the most popular type to use, although this is a shame as fairy lights can bring style and elegance into the home and garden all year round at very little cost. Try hanging up one or two sets around the home to see for yourself! There is no way after Christmas you will be wanting to take them home, so instead leave them up and continue to enjoy their sparkle!Almost all computer software documentation leaves out a very important tip. It's a fact of life that users change computers every few years. Yet software documenters never describe how to move the User's data from the old machine to the new one. This is a failure of most software documenters to face reality.Before you release a product, have some people use it. From these "test users" get solutions to problems, tips and knowledge that would help your real-life Users. Put that information in your User Documentation, and on your product support Website.Small lights for the home or garden should not just be saved for Christmas however. They look great in the home throughout the year and can even be used in the garden to provide a social and party atmosphere. In the home, small golden lights look amazing when wrapped around furniture, strung from the beams or used to line mirrors or pictures hanging on the walls. They can also be used behind pieces of fabric so at night a mysterious and warm glow softly illuminates a room. They also look fabulous when weaved in amongst indoor shrubs and plants in much the same way as they do when on the Christmas tree in fact.. An electrical sub-panel for eight circuits that only has room for four ground wires. This makes it difficult to connect all the circuits.Test in Real USER LifeA front-loading washing machine has two spin speeds: "Normal" and "Fast". The User Document merely says to 'set the spin speed.' However I am confused. The User Document writers should have told me the benefits and the costs of using each spin speed. This information would help me decide what speed to use for my particular situation.Ironically, my experience is that a friend or family member who gives me a practical gift - like a household gift - often apologizes for it. For example, I received a new vacuum cleaner from my significant other for Christmas. I desperately needed a new vacuum cleaner, and he did extensive research to find the most highly rated vacuum cleaner in his price range. It was exactly what I wanted and needed, but he nonetheless apologized for the gift's unromantic nature. The apology was so unnecessary, but he repeated it again and again. The truth is, every time I use the vacuum, I think of him and appreciate his thoughtfulness.Here are some examples of product warts. Some of the warts can only be cured in the next version of the product:Solicit Real Users' CommentsOften it only takes a small table or a few lines in the User Document to provide this beneficial information, yet for some reason it is left out.Share the experiences that your organization has with the product. Add relevant tips to the User Documentation. Add the knowledge that you uncovered in your experience with the product. Give remedies for the product's warts.Doing so will improve your Users' experiences with your Product. Improving your Users' experiences with your product will:I bought a device (an "FM transmitter") that enables my MP3 player to play through any FM radio. The problem is that the transmitter distorts the sound. However, if I turn down the volume on the MP3 player when connected to the FM transmitter, the distortion is reduced. There is no tip or instruction in the User Manual telling me to turn down the volume. When I hear the unclear sound, I'm disappointed in the product, and believe that the product does not work.Likewise, I've received computers as gifts twice in my life. A computer is extremely practical, since I use it at least eight hours a day. No, it's not the most romantic gift � like jewelry - or whimsical gift in the universe, but I never cease to appreciate the person who gave me my computer. It allows me to work, to play games, and to communicate with my friends and family.Every morning when I toast my bagel, I think of my sister, who gave me a shiny red toaster for my birthday last year. For me, that's proof that practical gifts serve as everyday reminders of the people who are nearest and dearest to me.The Bottom LineThink about how your User might want to and need to use the product. Add tips to help him/her.. A five-stage water filter that does not mark which of its filters fit into which holder.. Improve salesEvery product has "warts". Warts are the failings of your product. A wart might be something that the current version of the product cannot easily do, but needs to be done.My guess is that eitherAsk your Users to comment on their real-life experiences with your product. Have them provide you with the tips, techniques, and shortcomings that they have discovered while using the product. Publish this information in later versions of the product's User Document, and on your product's web pages.A good rule of thumb is that if your User has to make a decision, provide the information that will enable him/her to make the best decision.. Or, if they knew that the User's headphone volume would be too loud, they felt that "everyone could figure it out" and did not include this knowledge (as a tip) in their instruction sheet.In the garden it is important to get special outdoor lights as traditional indoor wiring and rain do not mix well. Small lights can be used in trees to provide illumination against the night sky. They can also be used to highlight certain aspects of the garden such as plants or ornaments. One innovative way to use little lights is by weaving a battery operated selection amongst the branches of some trees to provide a starry canopy underneath which to sit. The next time you are entertaining guests you should seat the dinner table underneath the tree for a romantic and stylish atmosphere.. A digital timer coffee maker (I love this product for its flaws and the flaws in the User Manual). Quiz: For home use, when do you think most people want to have coffee automatically brewed? I think it's in the morning. However when a user sets the clock, the time display starts at 12:00 A.M. But when the user sets the brew timer (when the coffee will begin brewing) the timer starts at 12:00 P.M. This is not just a flaw; this is silly.Probably the most outrageous missing tip is a product feature that is not described anywhere in the User Documentation. I have a low-flush toilet. These toilets have been the butt (sorry about the pun) of jokes because they have trouble with large quantities of "solid waste." My toilet has an undocumented feature. If I hold the handle down the entire time the flush is taking place, there will be extra water to handle the large quantity of "solid waste." But it's not documented! That is really a missed tip!Three More Ways That Your User Documentation Fails Your Reader/User:I've not only been the recipient of practical gifts, but I've given my share of practical gifts as well. My boyfriend is into amateur car racing, and I've actually given him car parts as gifts. The car parts have given him the extra boost he needs to achieve new personal bests at the track, and I know that he thinks of me as he's revving his engine. I also know that he appreciates those practical gifts more than he would watches, DVDs, electronics, or other kinds of grown-up toys.. A telephone answering machine that has no wall mounting. It only takes a small change in the mold of the plastic for the back of the unit to enable screws to hold the device on the wall. The answering machine has its cable permanently connected to the device, making it difficult to use a shorter cable when needed.
And those are the things we want to do to help our company thrive.
Author: Barry Millman
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