Technical Writing: Quick Start Guides

Learn a step-by-step process for writing a quickstart guide to accompany a product or software.

Introduction

• Welcome

1. Components of a Quickstart Guide

• Know what you want the guide to accomplish
• List steps: Sequence or separate tasks?
• Incorporate visuals into your quickstart guide

2. How to Develop Your Quickstart Guide

• Base your quickstart guide on your user manual
• Base your quickstart guide on input from users

3. Best Writing Practices for a Quickstart Guide

• Address your user directly
• Identify the overall purpose of the guide by explaining the outcome
• Write clear headings
• Begin each step with a verb
• Provide context or notes before steps, not within them
• Use plain language
• Use consistent formatting
• Challenge: Revise a quickstart guide
• Solution: Revise a quickstart guide

4. Check Your Quickstart Guide for Accuracy and Usefulness

• Ask a subject matter expert to review your quickstart guide
• Ask users to review your quickstart guide

Conclusion

• Next steps