Technical Writing: Quick Start Guides

Internal Quiz

Question 1 of 5
When starting your Quick Start Guide, what questions should you keep in mind?
A. Are there steps my user must take to get started?
B. How can I make my guide visually appealing?
C. Are there tasks my user may want to complete?

A, C
B, C
A, B
A, B, C

A, C

Question 2 of 5
Which of the following practices should you follow when annotating screenshots?
Keep annotation style consistent throughout the guide.
Vary the annotation style from one visual to the next.
Make the annotation style match the size and color of the actual screenshot.
Annotate each element of the screenshot.

Keep annotation style consistent throughout the guide.

Question 3 of 5
Good Quick Start Guides combine _ language and _ language.
plain; understandable
technical; specialized
plain; technical

plain; technical

Question 4 of 5
A good heading should always be what?
specific and descriptive
as concise as possible
seldom using any verbs
written as a complete sentence

specific and descriptive

Question 5 of 5
Which of the following items is the best example of a good step description?
Turn on ventilation system before starting any other steps.
Ventilate the laboratory.
The necessity of proper ventilation
Before starting any other steps, turn on the ventilation system.

Turn on ventilation system before starting any other steps.

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Final Exam

Question 1 of 7
What is the difference between a conceptual guide and a procedural guide?

A conceptual guide explains why it is necessary to accomplish a task, but a procedural guide describes pitfalls.
A conceptual guide explains the order of steps, but a procedural guide lists the steps in no particular order.
A conceptual guide outlines steps to accomplish a task, but a procedural guide explains the main ideas of that task.
A conceptual guide introduces main ideas, but a procedural guide outlines steps to accomplish a task.

d )A conceptual guide introduces main ideas, but a procedural guide outlines steps to accomplish a task.

Question 2 of 7
Which of the following items best uses plain language to describe an idea?

Lyophilize the sample until its mass becomes constant.
Remove as much water as possible from the sample by lyophilization.
Freeze dry the sample until no more water sublimes.
Leave the sample in the lyophilizer until its mass does not change with time.

d) Leave the sample in the lyophilizer until its mass does not change with time.

Question 3 of 7
How are “Must” Quick Start Guides organized?

They give the user options for how to proceed.
They walk the user through a strict sequence to achieve a desired outcome.
They are presented non-sequentially.
They include helpful visual aids.

b) They walk the user through a strict sequence to achieve a desired outcome.

Question 4 of 7
It can be helpful to base your Quick Start Guide on _.

an online template
the user manual
previous Quick Start Guides you have made
your competitor’s Quick Start Guide

b) the user manual

Question 5 of 7
The most important aspect of formatting to remember is that _.

it should be conservative and decorative
it should be easy on the eye and consistent
it should convey meaning and be consistent
it should be decorative and flamboyant

c) it should convey meaning and be consistent

Question 6 of 7
How should you address the user when you are writing a Quickstart guide?

with the phrase “the user” throughout the guide
with second-person pronouns or the imperative mood
with a fictional user and giving that user a name
with third-person pronouns and the indicative mood

b) with second-person pronouns or the imperative mood

Question 7 of 7
How can you avoid including too many notes?

by writing a glossary of terms
by including notes in an appendix
by breaking up steps into smaller groups
by using footnotes instead of notes in the text

c) by breaking up steps into smaller groups

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