Creating screenshots and images for user guides

Creating screenshots, diagrams and images is something that every technical communicator needs to do, but very few have had any formal training in how to do it. Sometimes, the result is that the user guides and online Help contain images that are unclear, inconsistent, and frankly, unprofessional. They can make the product look like it's poor quality.

Creating them can also tie up the Technical Writer's time, especially if they need to be changed frequently.

What you'll learn

Cherryleaf's e-learning course on creating screenshots and images for user guides gives you the foundations for creating professional images in an efficient way. The goal of the course is to enable you to use diagrams, images and screenshots to communicate to your audience, with a focus on simplicity and ease of understanding. This is accomplished through a mix of design theory, best practices, software, and practical application.

Please note, we don’t focus on highly detailed technical illustrations or 3D drawings that you might find in the aerospace or automotive industries. Also, the course does not cover Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality.

You'll go through the key stages in developing screenshots, diagrams, and other images:in developing images. You’ll learn to understand the context, choose an effective visual display method, focus the user's attention, apply design best practices, and use the appropriate software tools to communicate your message.

1. Introduction
2. Understand the context
3. Choose an appropriate visual display method
   • Screenshots
   • Simplified User Interface
   • Diagrams
   • Aspect ratio
   • Icons
   • Image maps
   • Wordless guides
4. Focus attention where you want it
   • Gestalt theory
   • White space
5. Think like a designer
   • Layout
   • Colour
   • Accessibility
   • Style guides
6. Software
   • Software tools
   • SVG
   • Automating tasks
   • Stock images
   • Presentation applications
7. Animations
8. Summary

The course contains 22 exercises (and suggested answers) for you to practice your skills.

Who this course is for

Anyone developing user guides and online Help who wants:

• A foundational understanding of how to use diagrams, screenshots and images, in an effective and efficient way.
• To see practical, real-world examples.

Prerequisites

We'll take you from first principles, so all you need is a basic understanding of what is a user guide.

You'll need access to PowerPoint, or a similar application, in order to complete some of the exercises. And it will help if you have a copy of Snagit.

Course duration

The course is duration is roughly equivalent to a one day classroom course. As it's an e-elearning course, you can go at your own pace.