If users don’t understand how to set up your software, they are likely to churn and leave bad reviews about your business. Creating a thorough, in-depth installation guide enables you to help users achieve success with your software and use it for its intended purpose. When beginning to create your software installation guide, you need to gather as much information as possible relating to your product.
If you use documentation software, you’ll be able to access analytics that give you insight into the performance of your installation guide. Key metrics like page views and support tickets deflected show you how well your guide is doing and whether it is helpful for your users. Customers who encounter installation errors may run the risk of abandoning your software before they even get started. The installation guide troubleshoots common errors and may even be able to prevent them from occurring in the first place.
Whichever is the default setting may not be appropriate for every user so you need to show them the values that should be configured and enable them to compare the result to whatever is expected. A clean installation is one that is done in the absence of any interfering elements such as old versions of the computer program being installed or leftovers from a previous installation. In particular, the clean installation of an operating system is an installation in which the target disk partition is erased before installation.
Main Components of a Software Installation Guide
A technical writer who is knowledgeable about software installation can also write an installation guide in consultation with the SMEs and the developer team. A good software installation guide can help reduce user frustration and increase the chances that software will be installed correctly the first time. A software installation guide overlaps with System Administration Guide since it covers similar configuration tasks. That’s the reason why the demarcation line between these two guides may not always be very clear.
If you don’t understand how users are going to be using your guide, then you can’t expect your users to either. Think about when users will be introduced to your https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ guide and how it will appear on their screens. It must be easier for users to use your installation guide than it is for them to contact your support team.
The equivalent document for computer software is called a user guide since users are typically licensees rather than owners of the software. With the increasing complexity of modern devices, many owner’s manuals have become so large that a separate quickstart guide is provided. Some owner’s manuals for computer equipment are supplied on CD-ROM to cut down on manufacturing costs, since the owner is assumed to have a computer able to read the CD-ROM.
Examples are AmigaOS 4.0, various Linux distributions, MorphOS or Mac OS versions 1.0 through 9.0. (See live CD and live USB.) Finally, web applications, which run inside a web browser, do not need installation. Before you publish or distribute your document, you should test it with real users or reviewers who can provide feedback on its clarity, conciseness, accuracy, and usability. You should also check your document for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style errors.
Requirements for pre-installation (system requirements)
If any physical installation is involved, including a drawing of screwdrivers or other tools attaching the product properly by driving screws or rivets, etc. The mark of good documentation is when it actually helps the user to accomplish their goals. Ensure that some of your reviewers know nothing about using your product to understand what your guide will be like for complete beginners. You can use this Installation Guide template when installing software and for the preparation, training, and conversion from existing systems. We look at the main sections in an Installation Guide, how to write each section, and provide sample text to help you get started with your technical documents. After the successful installation and first initial tests, you can proceed to
read about all the available playbooks
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- This is sometimes preferred as opposed to installing the full suite of software components.
- The installer program runs checks for the software prerequisites, and if any prerequisites are missing, it lists the missing items and requests that they be installed.
- How do you balance clarity and conciseness in writing installation instructions vs user guide?
- Silent software installation is a software installation process that runs without any prompts.
- Before you start the software installation, it is important to know what software network installation is.
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Ideally, each step is accompanied by a screenshot so users can follow along as they read the instructions. If multiple installation methods are possible (for example, beginner versus advanced) make sure to include instructions for both types. Software installation guides are all part of providing a great user experience, and ensuring that users have access to self-help documentation that guide them through setup.
As you can easily tell, some of the above information can be included in a User or System Administration Guide as well. The decision of what information should go where is a management (or client) decision although, if you are the writer, you can argue your case as well. However, it is much better to repeat crucial information in more places than one since you usually have no control over the way technical manuals are used.
For instance, if the disk in which the computer program is being installed was full, the installer may ask the user to specify another target path or clear enough space in the disk. A common misconception is unarchivation, which is not considered an installation action because it does not include user choices, such as accepting or declining EULA. The software installation guide should be reviewed and updated by the software developer or development team on a regular basis with the help of the technical writer. The first step in writing any technical document is to know your audience and goal. Installation instructions are usually written for novice or intermediate users who need to get started with a product or system quickly and easily. User guide is usually written for intermediate or advanced users who need to learn more about a product or system and its capabilities.
Easy to navigate with simple TOC and localization is also possible to cater global users. Then, you’ll need to divide your guide up into sections and give it a logical structure. You can follow the structure used in the previous section as this order acknowledges the steps that users will encounter when using your guide. Introduce users to your software first before telling them anything about the installation. After the installation process is complete, it’s likely that the configuration file and settings will be updated.
For example, registry files and other system code may need to be modified or deleted for a complete uninstallation. A bootstrapper can be used to upgrade, remove, configure software already installed on your computer. A software installer keeps track of what software is installed by which installation scripts and where it is placed. It will make sure that programs make proper use of the software and it will update the software with newer versions.
Software installation guides should be reviewed and updated by the software developer or development team on a regular basis to ensure the software installation guide is up-to-date. The software installation guide should be written by the software developer or a member of the software development team who can help ensure that all details are included in the software installation guide. Poorly written software installation guides can lead to software not being installed, software not working properly or software installation errors. Your software installation guide shines a light into how your software operates and gives users a better understanding of the technology. The document provides insight into how the system works and ensures that they can effectively navigate any issues without becoming too frustrated. An installation manual or installation guide is a technical communication document intended to instruct people how to install a particular product.
Among these topics, are procedures, diagrams and conditions for installation activities, such as unpacking, mounting and connecting. A system installer is the software that is used to set up and install an operating system onto a device. Cross-platform installer builders produce installers that run on Windows, macOS and Linux. – If you are having problems with your computer and cannot seem to fix them, doing a clean installation may be the solution to your problems. So, when in doubt, include important information in more guides than one despite the risk of redundancy and repetition. In this section you should list all those messages, including the audio ones, explain what they mean, and follow them up explaining what to do about it – that is, also provide a troubleshooting section.