Navigation in Online Manuals

FAQ on Technical Writing

What is the ideal online user manual? A lot of characteristics can be mentioned here. But one of them will always be simplicity. I would say simplicity here means a lot: clear and intuitive structure, easy navigation, readable texts, etc. It is the navigation I’d like to talk to you about this time.

Often, users do not even pay attention to the navigation structure of the document. I mean, they take it for granted if it is easy and helpful. But if the navigation leaves much to be desired, users say that the document is a nightmare. What can we do to improve the navigation in our online user manuals?

A TOC (table of content) is the most popular navigation element in user manuals. It represents the structure of a document — the topics and hyperlinks that lead to them. The majority of documents need it. It is like a map for users. They check where they are now and what information they may get if they move from section to section. They can make sure that the section they are going to visit is relevant to them. A TOC may be used not only at the beginning of the document but also at the beginning of each section to show the users its content.

That is a secondary navigation element. It helps users understand their location and the relation of pages in the manual. It is the content organized in a hierarchical manner. Breadcrumbs reduce the number of actions the readers have to take to get to the page they are interested in. The main advantage of breadcrumbs is that this navigation element doesn’t take too much space. TOC and breadcrumbs are not identical. Some documents are not supposed to concentrate the reader’s attention on the structure, so using a TOC will not be a good solution here. But breadcrumbs, on the contrary, will help the readers identify if the section they are studying is the right one.

Search box is the navigation element that allows the reader to look for the article they need directly. It is not always possible to find the relevant information with the help of TOC or breadcrumbs. It may not be obvious which topics and sections to check. In this case, search box is a great solution. It will show all the articles related to the query.

Simple but effective navigation element. Readers use it to quickly move from topic to topic. It allows them to switch to another topic without making too many clicks. This is one of the basic elements that is supposed to be in all online manuals.

Here they are, the most popular navigation elements in online user manuals. Each of them works well for particular purposes. You are to decide when and where to use them.

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