From the course: Technical Writing: Quick Start Guides
Unlock the full course today
Join today to access over 22,600 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.
Write clear headings
From the course: Technical Writing: Quick Start Guides
Write clear headings
- Have you ever driven through one of those subdivisions where the street names are unremarkable and too similar? It's disorienting to be driving on Greenwood Street and to pass Greenwood Way and Greenwood Court. It's easy to get lost. Stay with me here while I compare suburban street names to the headings you write in your quick-start guide. Headings are the street names for your guide. They help users know where they are in the guide and what type of information you're providing. Here's an example of a quick-start guide that has five clear useful headings. Why do these headings work? Because the wording is clear and specific. Each heading includes a verb. When a group of words has a verb in it, it becomes a clause, and a clause is more concrete than a phrase. Each heading is a complete thought. The headings don't trail off. Each heading stands on its own to express a complete idea. Each heading will help the user decide whether to read or even to skip a section. Let's do an…
Practice while you learn with exercise files
Download the files the instructor uses to teach the course. Follow along and learn by watching, listening and practicing.
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
(Locked)
Address your user directly3m
-
(Locked)
Identify the overall purpose of the guide by explaining the outcome4m 4s
-
(Locked)
Write clear headings4m 1s
-
(Locked)
Begin each step with a verb3m 36s
-
(Locked)
Provide context or notes before steps, not within them3m 1s
-
Use plain language4m 37s
-
(Locked)
Use consistent formatting3m 52s
-
(Locked)
Challenge: Revise a quickstart guide56s
-
(Locked)
Solution: Revise a quickstart guide1m 5s
-
(Locked)
-
-