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What constitutes a good manual, for you?
I won’t do this as a poll, as I don’t have epistemological awareness of all definitive alternatives or empirical possibilities and impossibilities as a complete non-exclusive canonical set. In other words, I wouldn’t want to miss out an option that everyone then discusses should have been in there, like some kind of dark duck or black swan or something.
There’s a discussion recently about how to “get into” using apps. One way some people approach things is by unwrapping a thing, plugging it in and having a go at using it. This might work with a product designed to work like it looks like it should. As someone who spent my time decades ago at art college studying product design (a.k.a. industrial design) this was the way we understood the world. If the unaided person uses a product how they think it should be, and that turns out to be incorrect, then that’s the fault of the designer. Nowadays there’s this new industry called “usability”, which is where you pay a consultant. Sounds good, but hang on, lots of things have atrocious usability. A Stradivarius violin for example — not many could walk up to one of those and get it to work first time. Whilst I view this usability thing as a fad, a lot of things have excellent usability designed in, yet a lot of other things instead assume that over time actual learning and experience of the tool will prove stronger.
In terms of learning an app, how do you prefer the “manual” to be? I personally don’t like video (strange for someone so heavily involved in video production myself). This is not just trudging through long vids, it’s more that I dislike them playing aloud, and I struggle with their linearity. What about in-app text vs sending away to a web page vs sprouting a PDF? How do you like a PDF — a single galley vs two-column portrait for print? Besides anything I’ve mentioned, there’s no doubt a whole load of other weird and unusual possibilities. What would your ideal “manual” experience be?
Comments
manual is absolutely last resort ...
1/ tinker ...
2/ youtube vid
3/ Manual
icedently, Rolands "manual" for the TR8 constitutes a double sided printed sheet of paper
Weirdly enough I was thinking about this yesterday. Great minds etc.
Mine thought was what do you consider a good ipad app manual. Or what manual would you recommend to read.
Here is what I initially thought Auria Pro, Different Drummer, MidiFlow, Turnado and iSpark
What makes these good is ...
Well written, obviously
Illustrated, to help make it interesting
A bit of Music Theory education
Examples that show how to get a nice results
Tutorials written or video (iSpark did like how many videos on release, great!)
I'm so ashamed to say I've stopped reading them since my switch from hardware. I don't like PDF manuals.
Since I don't have a printer handy and the costs are quite high, they will have to do if I ever need one.
I do like videos to show the basics if well done, but admit to using the Sound Test Room for many apps
Examples work best for me, to get past the initial (actual or perceived) barriers in using an app.
My preference is for videos, although illustrated written manuals can also be very useful.
I rarely read manuals from cover to cover; but I do tend to refer to them if I 'hit a brick wall' in trying to do something within an app.
A 'well designed' product be it software or hardware should not need a manual and should by design spark the users interest and curiosity to explore and experiment without the sense of fear that something can screw up.(Ie. manuals with a lot of "NO-NO's" and "Don't do This and That" are not good manuals. It's better to explain what happens when putting the finger in the fire instead of saying don't put your finger in the fire).
A "well written advanced manual" should go thru each and every aspect of the product in detail and give examples of potential and practical usage.
The 'getting started' manual should explain the basics (at a level of someone who is not familiar with the product-type) of intended usage and what to expect of the product and a basic walk-thru of the interface with references to the advanced manual.
Lately when available I've been reading the manuals (*.pdf mostly) during installs and downloads to familiarise myself with the products but that not always the case.
When things don't work as expected I Google first to see if someone else has run into similar issues and If I can't find a good answer I Google for the user-guides, and if it's a long (300+ pages) manual I use the search functions.
Though I will read straight, dry PDFs I like manuals that have an informal style, that "talk" the reader through patch creation Wolfram Franke's Stroke Machine is a good example of this. In app tooltip style is also a boon, like Virsyn's approach in Posiedon. Video is great but in short clips (see Audulus YouTube stuff from Bimini Road)
As an old technical writer, I like manuals. I very much like the Auria manual - it's well laid out to take you through the various pieces, and how to get things done. With a lot of software, I like context sensitive help, something that is rarely found in mobile apps, but I'm not sure it would be of much use in something as complex as a DAW. I guess because no one does it, (it's hard to do well,) I won't know. But I like to read a manual through, as it gives me the starting point. It's too easy to get into something, hammer away it for six months, then find out you could have done it much more easily, or that something existed that you didn't know about.
I also like manuals- they should be provided for all apps explaining all the functions- if you want to find out by experimenting then fine- don't read it. It drives me nuts when I buy an app and there is no manual or a minimal guide by tapping a little box after pressing the question mark only to find a five word sentence to semi- explain the function. You are then often faced with the dilema of writing a question to a forum and risk sounding like some clueless turkey. Some of us are new to this- and we don't have time to waste by endlessly pressing- poking and experimenting, we want to get on with using the thing. Show me how it works, then I'll get on with the experimenting. It must take months to make an app- why not take another half an hour to explain to people how to use it. I have quite honestly deleted some apps purely on the lack of instruction and resulting frustration. I have come from the world of hardware and so am used to having manuals to refer to. I am grateful for both PDFs and videos- the more the better I say.
Come to think of it some of the manuals I used to trudge through were truly massive
My favorite is the in-app text, for getting the basics down. Like the videos, too, particularly for showing workflow, or anything that has a few steps you have to do in order, like how set up a song session, or how to import or export samples, or something. Have found a 5 minute video is worth 20 minutes of reading the manual.
A real, in depth manual, tho, is the sign of a professional product, that's where I look for complete understanding. It drives me crazy when the manual doesn't cover things, and you're left shooting in the dark, or trolling forums trying to find someone explaining it. It should be the bible, for that software.
The best written manuals often will have the dry explanation of a feature, but also have some side notes on how and when a human being would use it, and throw in a scenario that makes sense.
Examine the Ableton Manual. It is I think an excellent manual. It seems to dispense with the fluff and simply tell you about all the features in a logical way, and in easy to read plain language. That said, it does benefit from being paired with the in-app tutorial lessons, and for some stuff it's still wise to hit up the Ableton site or google for demonstrations of specific features.
I prefer manuals especially for software with more complex structure and features. It should contain:
a good table of contents
illustrations using screen shots with accompanying text
reference section for settings (e.g. MIDI mapping)
be well written with correct spelling, grammar, punctuation
straight forward to the point sentences, paragraphs, and chapters
I don't necessarily read the whole manual and frequently focus on aspects of the app that aren't clear to me or I'm more interested in.
In app documentation and videos are also good, but don't supersede a manual for complex apps as I find it useful to read the manual as I'm trying to follow the instructions while using the app.
If a developer writes a good manual, I tend to find the app works well and is updated regularly. Going through a manual can often give me a better sense of what the app can do and will enable me to feel good about buying an app rather than passing on it.
95% video learner. Plus this site
If the developer puts out a comprehensive manual and/or lots of instructional videos, it says to me that they love their product and want people to understand and get all they can from it. Maybe that's more a reflection of myself, because I would do it that way if it was my creation. I think because iOS apps are so cheap, it almost has to be a gift from the developer to invest a great deal of time into documenting their app. It's always appreciated.
When I was young, and with a much better attention span, I read every manual cover to cover, and if it was a bit over my head, I'd read it again. Now days, please give me videos. I love YouTube. The best is to see someone actually working with the software, better than just dry explanations of features, but anything is welcome. I really have an aversion to poking around blindly figuring out what does what, or what breaks what, especially if the app is complex. I don't really care how intuitively an app is designed for someone who wants to poke around and get going. I want an app that's powerful and efficient after you learn how to use it.
Best case for me is watching vids to get a good idea how the software works, and how to approach working with it, and then go through the manual with that more tangible familiarity already established. If no videos, then if the app is worth my time, I'll just trudge through the written docs. Obviously, the better organized, indexed, detailed and literate, and with good illustrative examples, the more I'll like it.
I really appreciate a good manual. It helps me figure out if I want to buy a product. I also watch videos, but there's nothing better than a comprehensive manual.
I love when developers talk about their philosophy behind the app. That becomes really helpful. Some apps include tips from beta testers. Any manual that has some super cool tricks and just general examples of usage.
An index is always appreciated, too.
Do people separate the learning and documentation from the having and using of the app? I mean, for example, do people look at the videos, download the pdfs before they even own the app? Or do people take the pdfs or check out the videos of apps they actually own, on the train for example, or on a smart television, or if they have a job, at work, even when the app is left back home on their iPads? Or is all learning of an app with the actual app open in front of you, always?
I do both. I watch videos and read manuals before buying an app. If I'm in a place where I can't put in ear plugs, I'll read a manual. Or this forum. I save lots of videos to watch later on TV when my girlfriend isn't around to give me the stink eye.
I try to check out the manual of things before I buy them.
I like manuals with informal quick start sections or 'recipe' sections and then a thorough section by section breakdown.
I like PDF manuals that make the most of being digital (links please!).
Illustrations are key.
I also like the in-app overlay thing for quick reference.
For me, MIDI Flow is the best manual going right now, at least as a reference manual.
Same as a lot of people already posted, I really like to read the posts at Johns Musicappblog. Most of his articles I have saved in PDF format on my ipad along with all the official manuals. Some really helpful stuff.
I use InstaWeb to take a web article and convert it into a PDF, it takes out all the ads and junk and leaves just the article and pics. Then I sort them into folders. Some of them I export into Smart Office 2. It is a beautifully designed PDF/Word reader.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instaweb-web-to-pdf-converter/id581643426?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smart-office-2/id504520620?mt=8 Pretty sure I got this one free when Appsgone free had it featured. I'd pay $10.00 bucks for it though. Worth it. IMO
Anything that is not an IKEA manual is a good enough manual for me
I'm a RTFM guy, even often before making a purchase, if the manual can be located online. I am unlike almost everyone else I know in this regard.
I like tutorial videos or even review videos too if they're any good.
I only refer to the manual if there's something I can't figure out by using the app. It's a good manual if I can find the solution quickly. It's a bad manual if I end up googling for the answer.
I'm another fan of manuals, I always read them front to back before I buy music gear. In fact, it's one of the main things I love about the iPad. Having all my manuals with me and having instant access to the sections I want via their indexes. I also download a high res image of the device so I can flip back and forth between the manual and the picture of it's panel, useful when learning a device.
To me, a good manual focuses not just on what all the functions are, but also the overall structure of the device, it's hierarchy if you will. One thing I have no use for is connection diagrams, how to connect said device to other studio gear, seems a waste for something that should be obvious. I appreciate a bit of humor too, makes it easier to read.
Someone mentioned the Live manual, and I think that's a great one too. Ableton considers the manual the definite reference of the app, but makes short videos and in app lessons to actually teach people how to use the software. I think that's a great way to go about it.
A good manual for me should be no less than two pages and no more than five pages, if the latter, pages one and five should be left blank for aesthetic reasons.
I end up reading the manual for Apple’s Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor, or Logic Pro X usually via a google search for an aspect I urgently need to know about, which inevitably leads me back to that specific part of the online manual!
Apple manuals are good yet infuriating. They need further usability testing.
I’m finding the TC-11 manual to be invaluable (i.e., simply could not have progressed without reading it), but it has to be open while the app is open — I can’t easily conceptualise what it is saying without actually hands-on trying out each piece that’s mentioned. If I were reading this out and about on its own, I would not match up a lot of what it says with what the app does. Nevertheless, it’s a good manual to have, but I’m having to read through it in several passes. This is no doubt because of the complex nature of the app, and that a lot of it is not particularly paralleled in my existing experience with other apps or other synths in general — it’s that unique.
Any other “best” / “worst” / “why there isn’t one” in terms of other apps manuals?
There should be two manuals, a simple overview/getting started guide for getting into an app quickly and easily, these are usually good if done as videos because they can double as marketing material also. This should include an overall description of the app and its default settings.
Then a proper reference manual, that is not laid out for reading cover to cover but laid out so that I can find the info I am looking for easily and quickly, this info should be in full detail. I will use this when I cannot figure something out, or I think what is that button or option for ?
Not musical app, but to me, this is close to the perfect website for support. Please, take your time to discover the whole site: videos, manuals in several languages, what's new...even the manual has highlighted in blue the new content for actual version).
http://www.procamera-app.com/en/
First of all the chance to print it aka pdf version, instead ofhtml pages, in app sort-of-things.
I like when manuals aren't only operational but discuss also some of the filosophy of the product.
I pretty much know what an app is gonna do before I buy it so I just need a lil page to show what the esoteric buttons do... Eric Sigth's manuals are great...