When was the last time you opened a manual? Did it feel like you had a personal guide walking you through the steps? Probably not often. Most documentation reads like a rulebook—cold, rigid, and barely tolerable. But the best documentation does something different. It doesn’t just list steps. It teaches.

Users Learn by Doing

Good documentation mirrors how people learn in real life—through action. A well-written guide anticipates what the user needs at every stage. It offers just enough information to move forward without unnecessary distractions.

A bad guide, on the other hand, interrupts with too much background or vague instructions. The reader is forced to stop, interpret, and sometimes guess. That’s not guidance—that’s friction.

How to Write Documentation That Teaches

1. Show the Next Step, Not a Lecture

People don’t need a history lesson before changing a setting or replacing a part. Lead with action. If context is needed, make it short and place it after the step, not before.

• Instead of:
  The system’s configuration settings were designed to optimize network security and provide flexibility…
• Write:
  Go to Settings > Security. Select “Optimize Configuration” to enhance security.
  (This option adjusts settings to balance security and flexibility.)

The action comes first. Explanation follows only if necessary.

2. Anticipate Where Users Will Struggle

A real mentor doesn’t wait for questions—they predict them. Look at your documentation from the user’s perspective.

• What could be confusing?
• Where might they hesitate?
• What assumptions does the document make that a new user wouldn’t know?

One way to test this is to follow the instructions exactly as written—without using prior knowledge. If anything slows you down, rewrite it.

3. Use Examples to Reinforce Learning

Abstract descriptions make sense to the person who wrote them, not always to the person reading them. Examples provide immediate clarity.

Compare:
❌ Enter the correct syntax in the command field.
✔ Type upload -f [filename] to send a file.

The second version does more than tell—it shows. The user doesn’t have to guess the format or syntax.

4. Keep Users in Motion

A great mentor knows when to step in and when to step back. Over-explaining can be just as harmful as being too vague. If a step is obvious from previous instructions, don’t repeat unnecessary details.

• ✅ Click “Next” to continue.
• ❌ After clicking “Next,” you will be taken to the next screen, where you can proceed with the setup process.

The second version slows the reader down for no reason. Let users move forward without extra friction.

Documentation Should Feel Like a Helping Hand

When done right, documentation serves as an invisible mentor—guiding users without making them feel lost, overloaded, or frustrated. It doesn’t just tell them what to do. It teaches them how to move forward with confidence.

If your documentation could talk, would it sound like a mentor—or a bureaucratic checklist?

Take a look at what you’ve written lately and see which one it is.