What is a user guide for software?
A user guide tells the people who use your product how to get things done in it. It is organised by what the user wants ("Invite a colleague"), not by your menus. It differs from training documentation for staff, because its readers are customers or end users who did not take a course.
Most readers open it with a problem in mind and want one answer. So the useful unit is a short guide for one task, with a screenshot on each step. See what a user manual is.
What should a software user guide contain?
| Part | What it holds | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Sign in, the first screen and the first useful task | One page |
| Task guides | One guide per task, numbered steps with screenshots | Five to twelve steps each |
| Troubleshooting | The ten most common problems and their fixes | A short list |
| Questions and answers | Short answers to what people ask support | One or two lines each |
| Contact | Where to get help when the guide is not enough | A few lines |
The task guides are the heavy part. They are also the part a recorder can make for you.
How do I create a user guide with screenshots?
- List the user tasks. Use support tickets, onboarding questions and your own list of features. Aim for the ten tasks people do first.
- Prepare a clean account. Use a test workspace with made-up data, so no customer information is on screen.
- Record each task once. Start the recorder, do the task at a normal pace and finish. Each click becomes a numbered step with a screenshot.
- Edit the steps. Say what to click and what the user will see. Add a tip for the shortcut and a warning for the step that cannot be undone.
- Cover what should not be seen. Draw boxes over anything private in an image.
- Write the getting-started page and the troubleshooting list. These need a person, not a recorder.
- Publish and link. Put a link or an embed on your help page, and put the same link in the product.
What does one task guide look like?
Example: "Send a customer request", using the public practice form as a stand-in for a real support form. The guide has these steps.
- Open the form.
- Type your full name and e-mail address.
- Type your phone number.
- Pick your city from the dropdown.
- Choose one of the three request types.
- Tick the newsletter box only if you want it.
- Write a short note.
- Click Submit.
- Check the confirmation page. It lists what was sent and gives a reference number. Keep the number if you contact support.
Each line has its own screenshot with the field marked. If you remove the newsletter checkbox from the form next month, you edit one step, not the whole guide.
Where should I publish a software user guide?
- A share link or an embed on your help page. This is the default, because every update reaches everyone and you can turn the link off at any time.
- A PDF for customers who want a copy or need one for their own files. PDF is on every plan.
- Word, HTML or Markdown when you assemble guides into a bigger manual or a documentation site. These are on Pro and Studio.
- A narrated video of the first-use guide, for people who prefer to listen.
The formats in detail are in how to create training documentation for software.
How do I keep a user guide current with each release?
Before a release, list the screens that change. After the release, open the guides that touch those screens, edit the steps that moved and check the screenshots. One owner per guide makes this a ten minute job rather than a project. Keep the troubleshooting list close to support: when a question comes up three times, it belongs there.
What can a recorded user guide not do?
It captures tasks done in desktop Chrome, so a mobile app or a desktop program is out of reach. It explains how to do a task, not why your product works the way it does. And it does not lay out a whole manual with chapters: you decide the order of the guides on your help page or in your own document.
How do I make a user guide with Izly?
Izly (izly.io) is a Chrome extension that turns a task you do once in your browser into a step-by-step guide, a narrated video and a no-code automation that repeats the task. For a user guide, record each task in your web product on a test account and edit the steps in the editor.
You can crop images, add arrows, move the marker and cover private areas. Share a link, embed the guide or download a PDF. Pro adds Word, HTML and Markdown. See pricing or start free.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a user guide be?
As long as the tasks need, but each guide should cover one task in five to twelve steps. If a guide runs longer, it probably covers two tasks and should be split.
What is the difference between a user guide and training documentation?
A user guide is written for the customers or end users of a product. Training documentation is written for your own staff learning your tools and processes. The recording method is the same for both.
Do I need a separate tool for the help page?
Not necessarily. A link or an embed of each guide can sit on any help page or site. If you want a document, export a Word file on Pro or Studio.
Can I add a video to the user guide?
Yes. A narrated video with captions can be made from a guide, with an English or Turkish voice. The voice is synthetic. The Free plan has a trial of 3 guides, Pro has 15 a month and Studio is unlimited.
Can I make the user guide for Turkish-speaking users too?
You can edit the step texts yourself, and a narrated video can be made with a Turkish or English voice, with translation between the two. The Izly interface is available in English and Turkish.
Related pages
Record it once and let the guide write itself
With Izly you do the task once in the browser. Clicks and screenshots become a step-by-step guide that you edit, share, turn into a narrated video or run again for every row of a table.