All of us have come across examples of jargon filled technical documentation where we have to search to find the information we need. These documents also tend to be poorly produced. For example, a mobile phone user manual is often printed on a booklet of the size of the phone, making the font size difficult to read and the sketches impossible to understand. A car maintenance manual does not recognize that it would get handled with greasy hands when the car user has a problem.

A few simple tips could help improve the appearance of a technical document.

Make the document specific to the reader

The technical document should be written with the reader firmly in mind. The user manual for an appliance will have both first time users and people who have used similar appliances in the past. It would be a good idea to include a separate section for first time users that an informed user can skip.

The material should be written in short simple sentences, containing no more than 8 to 10 words per sentence. Longer sentences are more difficult to understand. Use simpler words. Avoid the use of overly technical terms or acronyms. Where these are unavoidable, explain what these are the first time you use them in the text. Use only one term throughout the document. If you substitute one term with a synonym, the user may not recognize that you mean the same item.

Make the document visually attractive

A crowded document filled with dense text makes for difficult reading. An important requirement for a visually appealing document is to use lots of white space. The margins should be adequate on all sides. The right font size and line spacing can help improve appearance of the document. Align only the start of each line of text, leaving the end spaces to vary naturally with word length in the text.
The text should be broken up into paragraphs with sub-headings. Each of these paragraphs should contain one core idea and should be written to be self-standing. The reader should understand the core idea from that one paragraph without needing to go back and read previous paragraphs.

The use of tabulations for select information or bullet points in the text adds to the visual appeal. Important points or messages can be highlighted using italics or bold text. Using capital letters for emphasis makes the text more difficult to read.

Add photographs and sketches

The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” applies to technical documentation. Adding a photograph or sketch makes it easy to communicate. Research has shown that the human eye gets drawn first to a photograph or sketch in a document page before the printed text.

The photographs need to illustrate the specific point being explained in the accompanying text. General product photographs may not add value. The same applies to sketches. Reproducing an engineering drawing with too many details or having unnecessary dimensions and notes simply confuses the reader.

Good technical documentation adds to the user experience with the product and deserves greater attention. Poor documentation can leave the impression of a poorly made product. Well made technical documentation can help reduce the number of product complaints or service calls.