There are plenty of quick-reference guide templates to choose from. For this example, I chose the Basic 5 Steps Landscape. From the tray at the bottom of the Snagit editor the Recent Images tray , drag your screenshots to the placeholders in the template. Add your descriptions in the corresponding sections in the space at the right of the template, and add a title in the title box. It took me longer to write out the steps than it did to create this little quick-reference guide.
There are a number of different types of quick-reference guides, so you want to know exactly what your audience needs before creating one. Then you want to create a quick-start guide. How about a glossary of common terms? Or, imagine your users are moving from one piece of software to yours.
What information might they need to make the transition easier? Think about things like differences in menu trees, icons, feature names, etc. But, obviously, all of those are very different applications. The more of these blogs I write, the more I become aware of consistent themes.
Creating the content your audience wants and not necessarily what you want to tell them is one of the most consistent. As noted in this article about how to create more effective customer education content , there are a number of ways to figure out exactly what that is, including online forums, customer surveys, or even from your own technical support staff. Regardless of how you get it, delivering content your customers want and need will go a long way in ensuring the success of your quick-reference materials.
Avoid huge blocks of text as much as possible Instead, use visual elements such as screenshots with markup, icons, or product photos — and just enough text to ensure your points are clear. Keep it to one or two pages. Choose the most important information to accomplish a particular task or that otherwise conveys what you want to show. Boil down complex concepts into their most basic form. Know what to leave in and what to leave out. Remember, you can always create another quick-reference guide to cover other important topics.
Sometimes a simple screenshot annotated with arrows, text, etc. Images draw the eye and help provide anchor points to your content, helping your users quickly and easily identify important points of information.
In fact, our Value of Visuals research found that people learn better with images and text vs. You can learn all about how valuable visual communication can be with this awesome infographic. And, have you ever heard the terms a picture is worth a thousand words? Learn more. Updated Oct. Minus Related Pages. More Information. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Last Updated Oct. What's this? Did you mean:. If you want to restore the toolbar deaults, reset or switch back to the Essentials workspace or customize your toolbar, take a look at this: How to restore tools to the toolbar.
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