Technology is changing the way we do business, the way we communicate with each other, and the way we learn. This new edition is intended to help technical writers, graphic artists, engineers, and others who are charged with producing product documentation in the rapidly changing technological world. While preserving the basic guidelines for developing manuals and warnings presented in the previous edition, this new edition offers new material as well, including a much-expanded section on hazard analysis. Features Provides more explicit guidance on conducting a hazard analysis, including methods and documentation Offers in-depth discussion of digital platforms, including video, animations, and even virtual reality, to provide users with operating instructions and safety information Incorporates current research into effective cross-cultural communication—essential in today’s global economy Explains new US and international standards for warning labels and product instructions Presents expanded material on user analysis, including addressing generational differences in experience and preferred learning styles Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings, Fifth Edition explores how emerging technologies are changing the world of product documentation from videos to virtual reality and all points in between.

Twenty-five years ago, how many people were thinking about the internet on a daily basis? Now you can find everything, including technical and instruction manuals, online. But some things never change. Users still need instructions and warnings to guide them in the safe and proper use of products. Good design, clear instructions and warnings, place

"This new edition is intended to help the technical writers, graphic artists, engineers, and others who are charged with producing product documentation in the rapidly changing technological world. While preserving the basic guidelines for developing manuals and warnings presented in the previous edition, this new edition offers new material as well, including a much-expanded section on hazard analysis"--

'Quite simply, and quite ridiculously, one of the funniest and most illuminating books I have ever read. I thought I was obsessive, but Keith Kahn-Harris is playing a very different sport. He really has discovered the whole world in an egg.' Simon Garfield A thrilling journey deep into the heart of language, from a rather unexpected starting point. Keith Kahn-Harris is a man obsessed with something seemingly trivial - the warning message found inside Kinder Surprise eggs: WARNING, read and keep: Toy not suitable for children under 3 years. Small parts might be swallowed or inhaled. On a tiny sheet of paper, this message is translated into dozens of languages - the world boiled down to a multilingual essence. Inspired by this, the author asks: what makes 'a language'? With the help of the international community of language geeks, he shows us what the message looks like in Ancient Sumerian, Zulu, Cornish, Klingon - and many more. Along the way he considers why Hungarian writing looks angry, how to make up your own language, and the meaning of the heavy metal umlaut. Overturning the Babel myth, he argues that the messy diversity of language shouldn't be a source of conflict, but of collective wonder. This is a book about hope, a love letter to language. 'This is a wonderful book. A treasure trove of mind-expanding insights into language and humanity encased in a deliciously quirky, quixotic quest. I loved it. Warning: this will keep you reading.' - Ann Morgan, author of Reading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer

How should a technical writer analyze user needs? What types of photos and drawings work best in technical publications? How do you avoid ambiguous wording in safety warnings? "If you want to find out the best way to sew on pockets, don't ask the president of the shirt company. Ask the person working on the line, someone who has sewn on 10,000 pockets." This opening statement of the preface to Writing and Designing Manuals, 2nd Edition reflects the overall tone and philosophy of this practical, "how-to" guide to technical publication writing and design. Based on the authors' experience as teachers and consultants with technical writers, the book follows new trends and incorporates new materials on desktop publishing, techniques for visuals, safety and product liability, and production of translated materials for international markets. There are also many new sample manual pages from manuals provided by product manufacturers. The decisions writers must make when producing a manual are presented, as well as techniques for organizing office structures and writing teams to make the manual production process run as smoothly as possible. The language in the book is clear, direct, and unacademic, and the principles featured in the book can be applied to writing manuals for a variety of products, including household, automotive, chemical, industrial, mechanical, recreational, and biomedical. Discover how to analyze user needs, determine which photos and drawings will work best with publications, and design clear, effective safety warnings. Anyone faced with the task of preparing user documentation, service manuals, and other technical publications must have this book. Managers in charge of hiring technical writers or developing technical writing departments will find the book invaluable.