Perspective on Creating Clear Manuals and Guides ④ Is More Information Better? ~The Courage Not to Write~

1. What Happens When You Increase Information

When you add information,

・The manual becomes longer, and the number of pages increases
・It becomes harder to find the necessary information
・Important information gets buried
・The burden on the reader increases

These are some of the things that can happen.

What is important for users is not the amount of information, but that they can "find the information necessary to achieve their goals" "when they need it."

2. Why Do We Feel the Need to Add Information?

There are reasons why you want to add information.

・You don’t want users to fail.
・You want to reduce inquiries.
・You want users to know about useful features.
・You want to prevent future problems.

All of these are important ways of thinking.

When inquiries arise, there is sometimes a desire to reflect their content in the manual.

However, it is necessary to distinguish whether the inquiry is a common issue for other users or a problem that only some users face.

3. What Do Users Want to Do?

For example, it is often the case that what users want to know is not the detailed specifications of a feature, but the information necessary to achieve their own goals.

For example, their goals might be as follows.

・Want to log in
・Want to submit an application
・Want to resolve an error
・Want to complete the tasks they are responsible for
・Want to operate equipment following the correct procedures
and so on

It is important not only to organize information from the perspective of the creators (communicators) who want to explain "this function," but also from the perspective of "what the users want to do."

4. Adding information is not always the best solution

Including all information such as rarely used details, unnecessary specifics for the user, or explanations unrelated to the current purpose can actually make it harder to find important information.

Deciding "not to write" may require a bit of courage, but not adding information can sometimes lead to better outcomes for users.

4-1. Consider whether additional information is truly necessary

First, let's check whether additional information is really needed.

Step 1: Is the information the user wants to know really included?
Not included → Add the information
Included → Go to Step 2

Step 2: Consider Whether It Is Really Necessary to Include
There are various ways to respond depending on the content of the inquiry, but first, before adding information, pause for a moment and consider whether that information is truly necessary for the user.

・Can users achieve their goals without this information without hesitation?
・Do users currently need this information?
・Will adding this information truly make things easier to understand?
・Will this information overshadow what users currently want to know?
・Is this information what users want to know?
・Is this information what the creators (communicators) want to convey?

As a result,

・If the information is currently necessary for the user, include it
・If another method conveys the information more effectively, consider alternatives such as FAQs or guides
・If it is determined that the information is not needed for the current purpose, do not include it

This is also an option to consider.

4-2. What to do with information not written?</h>

You might wonder, "Is it really okay not to write the content we've decided not to include?"
Product manuals, for example, are often created as comprehensive documents covering functions and specifications (all-function comprehensive manuals).

The term "not writing" here does not mean losing necessary information.
If the information needed by users is not provided anywhere, it is first necessary to supplement that information.
On the other hand, even if the information is necessary, simply adding more content is not always the solution.
By narrowing down what is written, supplementary information or content that is used infrequently can sometimes be conveyed more effectively by changing where it is placed.

If you think, "Maybe this is a bit too much information," "There probably aren't many people looking for this right now," "But it’s convenient to know...," or "I definitely want to convey this information," and there is no need to add it to the same document, depending on the content and situation, there may be an option to provide it by another method.

For example, if the same inquiry occurs repeatedly, an FAQ might be more suitable.
If you want to convey the overall approach and flow of the work, a guide might be easier to understand.
If you want to communicate usage scenarios or operational images, videos can sometimes be effective.
You don’t have to give up on conveying that passionate feeling.

5. Summary

Adding to the manual is one effective improvement measure.
However, the more information you add, the easier it is to use does not necessarily follow.

What is important is to consider:
・What the user wants to do
・Which method will effectively convey the information
・Whether it is truly necessary to convey that information right now

Deciding "what not to write" is a task more difficult than writing itself. Especially for those who deal with products and operations daily, it tends to be challenging to objectively narrow down the information.
In such cases, it might be helpful to incorporate a third-party perspective.

We have shared the criteria for selecting information.
Next time, we would like to consider the "gap in understanding between the creators (communicators) and the users."

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