TravelMate Series Generic User Guide Critique Technical manuals tell customers about the requirements and steps to install, to operate and troubleshoot a piece of hardware or software into a safety manner. It also reduces customers’ unnecessary calls and e-mails to the organization help desk and assistance available resources, ensuring customer satisfaction is guaranty. To critique a technical manual the reviewer has to brainstorm the different point of views or define the areas of the manual that will be important for users to focus on. First, the reviewer will have to review the manual. Then, the reviewer must brainstorm and conduct and analysis of the content of the manual to define the areas of interest and tell others his or her revision opinions and recommendations. The TravelMate Series Generic User Guide (2009) provides the user safety, operating and troubleshooting instructions. It provides regulations, carrying and securing instructions, connections requirements and frequently as questions. After reviewing the TravelMate User Guide and brainstorming what will be the most important areas to assist with the improvement of the User Guide I decided to focus into the following:
The outline and content of the user guide
The introduction and conclusion synchronization with the Content
Definitions and acronyms
Degree of complexity of the content and comparison with the User Audience
The above criteria will help me to clearly tell the editing team, writer and organization how well the User Guide is written and what they need modified to make a better guide to satisfy the customers.
The Outline and Content of the User Guide The TravelMate Series Generic User Guide (2009) is organized in a logical but different way. First, it provides the user information for “User Safety and Comfort” and the “First Things First”. It tells the user safety instructions, like cautions, warnings, guidelines for safety battery usage, interference with medical devices, energy star products benefits, and tips and information for comfortable use of the notebook. Then, it provides the guide outline with the titles and pages of where in the content to find specific topics of interest. The outline includes the user information for “User Safety and Comfort” and the “First Things First” Sections, topics, subtopics and pages. The two sections are placed before as an introduction to the TravelMate series of technology which is logical because there is not any other introduction to the TravelMate notebook products. The remaining of the content is organized in accordance with the outline. The outline organized the information by section main title, topics and subtopics under each section. For example, section name “Frequently Ask Questions”, topic “Requesting Service”, subtopics “International Travelers Warranty” and “Before You Call”.
The Introduction and Conclusion Synchronization with the Content The introduction is missing. Instead introducing the TravelMate products they are starting with “User Safety and Comfort” and the “First Things First” to introduce the user to the specific product. Looks like they did not identified the need of developing an overall introduction to the notebook. However, the two sections introducing the product are synchronized with the content and go with the purpose of the manual. The conclusion is the “Regulations and Safety Notices” section which is synchronized with the introduction topic and goes with the purpose
