[Field staff explains!] 3 points for creating easy-to-read operation manuals

1. It is important for manuals to be "easy to read".

Have you ever been given a manual by your boss or senior and thought, "I don't feel like reading this manual..."? Manuals like that tend to be read less and less over time.

Many companies are struggling with the fact that their business manuals are not being utilized. When we actually show them the manual, they often say, "Hmm, this must be difficult to read." Manuals like this tend to have the following characteristics:

・The text is densely written.
・Sentences are excessively long.
・Lacks visual contrast.
・Information is simply crammed together.

On the contrary, simply being aware of not making it this way will make the manual much easier to read. In order to make use of the manual, it is important to create a manual that is easy to read and makes the reader think "I want to read it", "I can read it", and "Let's read it". You may hear voices saying "I already know that!", but when you actually try to write a manual yourself, it is surprisingly difficult.

We will explain the points for creating easy-to-read manuals for everyone.

2. 3 Points for Creating an Easy-to-Read Manual

To create an easy-to-read manual, the following three points are important.

①Improve the first impression
②Write from the reader's perspective
③Create headings

① Improve the first impression at a glance

Let's add some contrast to the layout by making the title text larger and indenting the body text. For supplementary and cautionary notes, let's decide on the icons and styles to use and clearly distinguish them from the body text. Creating a template with styles will make it more efficient to create manuals. Additionally, using Excel to organize information in table format and incorporating visual elements such as diagrams and images can also be effective.
By making these efforts, we can make the reader think "this manual seems easy to read". It can also be expected to make it easier for readers to find the necessary information.

② Write from the reader's perspective

First, let's make the sentences concise.
When a long sentence continues, the reader becomes frustrated and thinks, "Do I have to read this to the end...?"
If you keep the sentence to about 40-50 characters, you can read it at a good pace.
If the explanation becomes too long, try dividing it into multiple sentences or using bullet points. Also, a text with too many kanji can give a difficult impression to read. The ratio of kanji to hiragana should be about 3 to 7.

Of course, attention is also required for the content and expressions to be described.
When writing a manual, you may be tempted to include a lot of information such as "I want to supplement this" or "I also want to explain this". However, even if unnecessary information is listed, the reader will only be confused and will not understand. Imagine the reader of the manual (knowledge level, thinking, feelings, etc.) and explain the truly necessary information in words that the reader can understand.
If you want to include supplementary explanations, use a dedicated style to make it clear that "this is supplementary and not important information".

③ Create a heading

Create headings to clearly organize a series of information. Simply listing information in a flat manner makes it difficult to find the desired information.
Readers look for necessary information from headings. Let's give headings that intuitively grasp the contents of the main text. For example, when explaining the procedure for heating using a machine, it is better to use the heading "Heating" instead of just "Heating". This is because with just "Heating", it is not clear whether you are explaining the mechanism of heating or the method of heating.

Is your manual capable of these ① to ③?
If you have any points that you feel "I couldn't do this here", please try to improve those points. You should be able to improve your manual to make it easy to read and make the reader want to read it.

3. To create an easy-to-read manual even in the midst of a busy schedule

Some people may understand the importance of steps ① to ③, but may find it difficult to actually make improvements. Especially when trying to improve manuals while also carrying out regular work, it can be challenging. In such cases, we recommend leaving it to tools or experts.

①If you want to improve your first impression...

Let's make use of tools.
Considering layout and design is a time-consuming task. However, tools come with pre-made templates for layout and design. This allows creators to focus on the content of the manual.
Human Science recommends "toaster team" (https://toaster.how/) provided by noco Co., Ltd. among many other tools. With a simple and sophisticated design, anyone can easily create a manual that makes readers want to read it.

https://toaster.how/

In addition, Human Science offers services to support the introduction and establishment of the toaster team for companies.
This service is perfect for those who are unsure of how to include their existing manuals or are worried about whether the team will actually be used after its introduction.
If you are interested, please contact us.
https://www.science.co.jp/document/index.html

②For those who want to write from the reader's perspective, ③and create headings...

Consult with experts in manual creation.
If you are going to spend valuable time on both ② and ③, you want to get the appropriate results, right?
First, have experts create a manual as a model, and then try creating it in-house. This is one suggestion for efficiently advancing your efforts.

Human Science has a proven track record of creating numerous manuals since 1985. We are a group of professionals specializing in creating business manuals. If you have any difficulties with creating business manuals, please feel free to consult with us.

Features ①: Extensive track record of manual production for large and global companies

Human Science has a track record of creating 3148 manuals for 243 companies, mainly in the manufacturing and IT industries. Our clients include well-known companies such as DOCOMO Technology, Inc., Yahoo Japan Corporation, and Yamaha Corporation.

Feature 2: Investigation and analysis by experienced consultants ~ Output

The consultant with extensive experience at Human Science will be involved in creating business manuals. Our skilled consultants will propose easy-to-understand manuals based on their wealth of experience and provided materials. We can also create manuals from scratch without any existing materials. Our assigned consultant will conduct interviews and create the manual.

Feature 3: Not only manualization, but also support for implementation

Human Science is responsible for the important phase of "institutionalization" after manual creation. For example, even after manual creation, we will continue to update the manual and hold manual creation seminars. We approach the field by implementing various measures to ensure that the manual is institutionalized.

Thank you for reading until the end.
I would be happy if this blog could be a hint for creating easy-to-read manuals.