Comments on: Quick Reference Guides: The Poetry of Technical Writing

By: Stuart Edeal

Stuart Edeal — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:36:14 +0000

Steve, do you know of any sites that have examples or templates for Scribus? I would like to try Scribus for making some training docs/QRGs, but would like to see some examples.

thanks

By: Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:38:46 +0000

Caroline, thanks for leaving a comment about the quick reference guides post. I have a collection of quick reference layouts and other information here: quick reference guides. Your plan of one double-sided laminated sheet sounds great. One of the frustrations I've had with this format is that I spend so much time fiddling with design. But the end products are more appreciated than any manual I've produced.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:09:19 +0000

I may be a bit late to the party here, but I came across all this when looking for templates to base some concept reference sheets on. All these tips and such are wonderful! Thank you!

I haven’t done much in the way of quick ref guides, I’ve always been handed legacy manuals and told to update them, or been told “we want a manual and nothing else”. Now that I’m in a doc role that lets me think about my deliverables as well as create them (what a concept!) I am chomping at the bit to do some innovating!

To respond to the “paper necessary?” comment, in my experience with watching users use the tools I was writing about, sometimes they wanted online help, sometimes they wanted printed material. It really depends on the person and how they learn. So having laminated cards as well as context-sensitive help is likely a great solution to appeal to all people within the client base.

Personally, mine are going to go on 8.5 x 11 double-sided sheets, laminated and ring clipped on a corner to hang above the workstation, with a link on the desktop to the PDFs if users are so inclined that way.

Now, to get buy in…. *evil grin*

By: Quick Reference Guides The Poetry of Technical Writing I 39 d | Hammock Stand

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:24:17 +0000

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By: Bob Winslow

Bob Winslow — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:36:47 +0000

Great site, was hoping to get some help.
Ive been asked to quote a price for taking an over 500 page manual and 300 page companion Book on the topic of elderly care, and making it accessible to administrators in a nursing home.
The manual isnt only procedures, but contains principles on how to create an environment that will benefit those in your care.
Im thinking a 10 to 20 page reference guide would do the trick.
How do technical writers go about estimating how much to charge?

By: Quick Reference Guides: Short and Sweet Technical Documentation | I'd Rather Be Writing - Tom Johnson

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:10:29 +0000

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By: türkei urlaub

türkei urlaub — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:03:45 +0000

very amazing info about complex writing. I am also a writer and share same difficulties with you. . Thanks for your diligently works. Plese give much more new content in order to follow up your nice blog.

By: Why it can be good to spend days writing just one page « Orion Spur

Why it can be good to spend days writing just one page « Orion Spur — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:15:56 +0000

[...] Read the article on Tom Johnson’s blog, I’d Rather Be Writing. [...]

By: Craig

Craig — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:47:07 +0000

Here’s a cool link for you:

http://www.poewar.com/document-hack-a-technical-writers-journal-quick-review-of-the-quick-start-guide/

By: Bruce Curley

Bruce Curley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:40:57 +0000

Tom,

I agree with you about the utility of quick start guides.

For a medical device we developed, I just created an extensive hardware and software manual for the engineers and scientists, and quick start guide for everyone else.

An old war story. Years ago, a company wrote the software for satellite phones (satphone). The satphone itself was manufactured in Germany…and the manual was in German. We got an emergency request for a quick manual…in English. This was in the days before software translators and it would have taken weeks to translate the 500 page manual. A couple of special forces guys in Granada needed to operate the satphone, but the manual was in German.

I suggested we create a quick start guide with the setup, how to make a call, and how to complete a call covered, which is all they really needed. Everyone in the meeting looked at me like I had two heads. Fortunately, the leader of the project saw the utility and I got it done in 3 days.

Some years later I actually met a guy who was part of that special forces group. It turns out that by the time he received the satphone instructions I wrote, they were on a laminated card the size of a card in a card deck. Small world, eh?