The best reference manuals are usually written by experienced technical authors who are familiar with the product being documented and who are also well supported by the development team. The writer must be able to form good working relationships with the developers so that the detailed information in design documentation, and also in developers' heads, is readily accessible. Good communications are essential if the writer is to become a useful interface between the people who create a product and those who will install and use it.
Reference manuals must be easy to navigate, yet be sufficiently detailed and informative to make opening the book and searching for the information worthwhile. In this type of manual, the way in which the information is structured is crucial. A good index is also required.
Users usually prefer this type of manual to be in an online format such as HTML or Adobe Acrobat rather than in hard-copy, both because of the typical size of such books and also because it makes searching easier. However, WRITE-ENABLED can provide reference manuals in a hard-copy format in addition to or instead of online documentation, if required.
Whenever possible we will try to devise an information solution based on your existing software and hardware. WRITE-ENABLED can readily create documentation using any of the following applications, although not all may be equally suitable for a particular application:
We also have experience with most word processors and text editors in common use, but in general their limited features render them unsuitable for creating professional reference documentation.
We can provide simple
artwork, scanned images, and given access to a working prototype,
capture any screens required for the documentation.