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

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

To create easy-to-read manuals that people want to read, 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

A good visual impression can make the reader think, 'This manual looks easy to read.' Let's consider the following points.

・Add Contrast to the Layout
Make the title text larger and indent the body text to create contrast in the layout. For supplementary notes and warnings, decide on the icons and styles to be used, clearly distinguishing them from the main text. For example, when creating manuals in Word or PowerPoint, it is efficient to determine which styles to use for which information and include them in a template.
However, overusing icons or excessively coloring the text can lead to an overload of information unrelated to the content, making it difficult to read. Be careful not to over-decorate.

・Create Margins
When text is densely packed, readers may first think, "This looks difficult to read." Let's create appropriate margins on the page. By creating margins with the right balance, it becomes easier to understand the organization of information, and it can also help readers reach the necessary information more easily.

・Add Visual Elements
Using diagrams and images helps to facilitate visual understanding. For example, showing an actual image of a form along with a filled-out example will allow for quicker comprehension than explaining how to fill out the form with text alone.
Additionally, presenting information in a tabular format organizes the items and explanations, making them easier to read.

② Write from the reader's perspective

Here are two points to keep in mind when writing from the reader's perspective.

・Make it concise
When long sentences continue, the reader may feel overwhelmed, thinking, "Do I really have to read this to the end...?" Aim to make your writing concise, keeping each sentence to about 40-50 characters for a smoother reading experience.
If your explanations become lengthy, it often means you are cramming too many ideas into one sentence. Review and check your writing, and consider breaking it into multiple sentences or using bullet points. Additionally, texts with too many kanji can be difficult to read. A good ratio of kanji to hiragana is about 3 to 7.

・Explain in words that resonate with the reader
To consider content and expressions from the reader's perspective, it is important to concretely imagine the profile of the manual's readers (knowledge level, thinking, feelings, etc.). It may be helpful to envision the new employees who will be joining soon or junior colleagues in their second or third year.
When writing a manual, it is easy to want to add many pieces of information, thinking, "I want to supplement this" or "I want to explain that." However, if the reader is presented with information that exceeds their knowledge level, they will only become confused and understanding will not progress. Check whether the information is truly necessary for the target audience and whether you are using expressions that are too difficult, and explain in words that resonate with the reader.

③ Create a heading

Let's create headings to clearly define a set of information. Simply listing text makes it difficult to find the desired information.
Readers look for the necessary information from the headings. Let's use headings that intuitively convey the content of the text. For example, when explaining the procedure for heating using a machine, a heading like "Heating" is not as effective as "To Heat." The term "Heating" alone does not clarify whether it explains the mechanism of heating or the method of heating.

Does your manual meet the following points ① to ③?
If you feel that there are areas that are not up to par, please try to improve those points. You should be able to enhance it into a user-friendly manual that makes readers want to "read it."
If you want to learn more about manuals that make readers want to read them, please refer to the blog below.

[Related Articles]
[Introduction to Manual Creation] What is the Design of an Easy-to-Understand Manual?
The Importance of Formatting in Manual Production - From the Perspectives of Readers and Writers

●Case Study: Denso Corporation
At Denso Corporation, we worked on creating even clearer manuals to ensure that a wide range of users can immediately use the regional information distribution system we provide. In particular, we aimed for a "manual that is easy for the elderly to understand" and revised the content to make it more visually accessible. As a result of adopting a simple design and concrete expressions, we were able to reduce inquiries regarding basic operations.
Denso Corporation Case Study