Manual Critique

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this area.

Overall Appearance

The user manual provides a reference for the icons used within the first few pages of the manual making it easier to read and follow the manual. The information is well laid out providing a neatly organized document. The manual uses appropriate white space, visuals, and tables providing a pleasant experience for the reader. However, the cover is very unappealing and does not provide the needed information to inform the reader of the manual’s contents. The table of contents is located several pages in after an introduction to the manual, warnings and ledger outlining icons used throughout the manual.

Conclusion

While the Samsung® user manual is very well laid out, the cover and content could use some enhancements. The manual provides good clear content with good use of visual aids. The cover needs a title, visual aid or model number explaining what the manual is about. The visual aids are very informative and help the reader understand Windows® 8; however, there are areas of the manual that would benefit from linked video tutorials. Moving the table of contents to the beginning of the manual and including the warnings and introduction information in the table of contents could be more appealing to the readers.

References

Dobrin, S. I., Keller, C. J., & Weisser, C. R. (2010). Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century (Second ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook collection.

Gerson, S. J., & Gerson, S. M. (2012). Technical Communication: Process and Product (7th ed.). Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook collection.

Samsung. (2014). Samsung.com. Retrieved from Download Center: http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/201408/20140821114606295/Win8.1_Manual_ENG.pdf