We are highly experienced technical writers, with clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to sole-proprietor businesses. We specialize in translating difficult subject matter into understandable, easy-to-use documents that lay people can understand. We have been trained in Usability and Information Design and can provide unique and effective solutions to your documentation problems.

User's Manuals

User's Manuals are some of the most popular forms of technical documentation. Packaged with the product they describe, they explain how to use the product under all operating circumstances. The information included in a User's Manual should be task-oriented, brief, and complete. Our writers will work with you to determine the user tasks required to install and operate your product, how to partition the information, and how to present it in the manual.

Sample User's Manual (PDF file opens in new window)

Documenting Software

When developing application software, thought must be put in to the end-user documentation. You must decide whether to provide the customer with a printed book, an electronic book that the customer can print out, or provide online help. Online help is an integral part of the software, and if the help system is done properly, a paper manual is often unnecessary.

Paper vs. Online Help: Which is right for you?

Paper:

Can be developed independently of software.
If the book must be printed, it adds to cost of goods (COGs), may delay product shipment (due to printing and packaging turn around times) and there may be obsolete stock after program updates.
If a printed book is not required, an electronic version of the book can be created that is bundled with the program on the same CD, typically in Adobe PDF (portable document format).

Online help:

Updated with software, included with software (so user can't misplace it)
Must be integrated with software.
Different packages require different amounts of writer/programmer interaction.

Documenting Hardware

Hardware manuals are written for a variety of audiences: the consumer, the technician, and the hobbyist.

Consumer manuals require safety information (for product liability issues), and complete, yet easy-to-understand instructions about how to install, operate and maintain the equipment being described. There is an art to describing complex systems so that a lay person can understand and use them. Successful documentation at this level allows the consumer to complete tasks without having to call a customer support line or making a service call, thus saving in overall installation and service fees for your company.

Technicians need much less hand-holding than a consumer, but they require more detailed information about how to troubleshoot problems, and what actions to take to resolve problems. Technicians do not care why or how something works, only what they need to do to fix it and move on to the next job.

Hobbyists like to know why as well as what, and are like development engineers in that respect. Generally, documentation does not take this particular market segment into account.

Determining your needs

Before we can provide you a quote for work, you will have to describe your project in detail. Some questions to think about are:

What product, program or service do you want documented?
What kinds of documentation do you require (book, online help, white paper, brochure)?
What is the approximate page or word count?
Will you provide source material, hardware or software to use while documenting your product?
How many revisions and/or reviews do you expect for this project?
What is the budget allocated for documentation?

If you would like to recieve a proposal and quote on a technical writing project, please send a query to Moon&Star.

Technical Writing Services from Moon & Star