Do You Use Visual Instructions in User Manuals?
Visual instructions are drawings that help technical writers explain to users how to complete a task or what result a user will get after following the guidelines.
Visual instructions are more popular than text. It is a well-known fact. The reason is human nature: we don’t like to spend time figuring things out, we like when everything is obvious. And visual instructions are obvious. The question is whether to use them in user manuals or not.
Have a look at the example of a visual instruction:
Here are the benefits of using visual instructions:
- Visualization. Pictures make abstract ideas and concepts concrete. Visualization helps to see clearly what and how should be done. It eliminates ambiguity.
- Efficiency. A text accompanied by visual instructions always works better. Users need just a couple of seconds to perceive a picture. Surely, they need more time to read a piece of text.
- Quick and easy learning. A wall of text may not be as efficient as a couple of images. Very often words are not enough to explain what a detail looks like or how it should be used.
- No need to translate or localize pictures. That’s a great advantage for those who prepare user manuals for foreign markets. If pictures contain no text, anyone can understand them.
Where Are Visual Instructions Used?
There are a lot of industries that rely on using visual instructions. First of all, these are toy manufacturers. For children, pictures are the best alternative to words: even if they are too small to read, they will surely understand how to use a toy. Besides, instructions like that help children learn and acquire new skills.
Furniture pieces are often accompanied by visual instructions. Just think of the famous IKEA assembly instructions! You can hardly find a person who has never seen them =) Their aim is to explain how to assemble a piece of furniture to a person who has never done that. And they are always efficient.
Medicines often have short picture instructions on how many pills and how many times a day should be taken, before or after a meal, in the morning or in the evening, etc. In this case, it is easier for patients to remember how their medication should be taken, which guarantees great results.
Medical devices very often have picture instructions that tell users how to apply them correctly. For example, blood sugar and pressure monitors, nebulizers, pulse oximeters, etc. When used the right way, these devices help users track their health and сonsult a doctor if something goes wrong.
Far more industries can use picture instructions in user manuals. Pictures provide users with a clear final result, increase the efficiency of work, eliminate ambiguity. As a technical writer, you should know how to work on visual instructions: pay attention to details, use real colors, use the same angles on all pictures. Users will definitely appreciate your manuals with visual instructions.
