Cloud User Guide Style Guide
Overview
This style guide is an example of what customer-facing user guides should look like and how they should be structured. It includes best practices for user guides as well as instructions on how to navigate Confluence (Cloud and On-Prem) to add macros and a table of contents to your page that will function both in Confluence and Jira Service Desk Customer Portal.
Each user guide should have an Overview section, a Table of Contents (TOC), and an Instructional Section. The setup should mirror this guide.
Structuring your user guide
Using headings
Highlight text you want to apply the heading to
Select the Normal text drop down
Choose your heading (Normal text, Heading 1, Heading 3)
Heading Best Practices
Normal text: Used for all instructional tasks and for tips, notes, and warnings.
Heading 1: Used for major categories/headings in your user guide (e.g. 'Scheduling a meeting').
Heading 3: Used for subcategories or subheadings in your user guide (e.g. 'Scheduling a one-time meeting' or 'Scheduling a recurring meeting').
Creating links to the Top of Page Anchor
Type 'Back to top' at the end of each section
Highlight the 'Back to top' text
Select the Link icon
Type #Top and then press Enter
Section Best Practices
Back to top should appear at the end of each section (Heading 1 and Heading 3) so users have easy access to the TOC.
Check that your return to top links are working by using preview mode (see Finishing your user guide).
Formatting user guide instructions
Writing step-by-step instructions
Select the Numbered list icon
Write instructions
Bold and capitalize the Name of buttons and other options that the user is instructed to select
Writing Instructions Best Practices
Instructions throughout the user guide must start with a verb and be concise and succinct.
Draw attention to all items that are selectable (buttons, icons, etc.) by using directionals (i.e. upper left, lower right, etc.) or pictures.
Images should appear under the step that refers to the and "(see image below)" should be written in instructions.
Adding a panel
Select the Insert (Plus sign) drop down
Type 'panel' into the search bar
Select the wanted panel from the results
Type in bold the title of the panel if desired
Type the information within the panel
Editing a panel
Select the panel to be adjusted
Edit the wanted text
Select anywhere outside of the panel once editing is complete to exit the editor
Removing a panel
Select the panel
Select the Remove (Trash can) icon
Tips, Notes, and Warnings Best Practices
Info: Use this panel for general or generic information pertaining to the topic.
Note: Use this panel for reminders of important information that users often overlook.
Success: Use this panel for helpful troubleshooting tips.
Warning: Use this panel to warn users of actions that can lead to poor results.
Error: Use this panel to warn users of actions that can lead to serious breaks/complications/issues/problems. Things that can disrupt the process for the user.
Using pictures in a user guide
Inserting pictures
Place the cursor where the file or image is wanted
Select the Files & Images icon
Navigate to the location of the wanted file or image
Select the wanted file or image
Select the Open button
Image Treatments
Be consistent with how you draw attention to things in an image. If you use red rectangles (recommended), use them throughout your images.
Do not include more than 2 callouts for an image. This can cause confusion with your end-user, and they won't know which action to perform first.
Sizing images in Confluence
Select the image
Drag the handles on either side of the image to decrease or increase the image size.
Image Sizing
Size images so that they don't take up the whole page but users can also see what you are referring to without squinting.
Use the guidelines that appear when the image is selected to align all images when resizing.
Adding alt text to pictures
Select the image
Select the Alt text text in the floating menu by the image
Enter a short description of the image
Press Enter or select anywhere outside of the image to save the entered information
Images Best Practices
Draw attention to the items that are selectable (buttons, icons, etc.) by framing it with a red box (refer to the images in this Style Guide).
Finishing your user guide
Making your Table of Contents
Add Info panel
Place your cursor next to your first Heading 1 title on the right
Select the Insert (Plus Sign) icon drop down
Type 'anchor' in the search bar
Select Anchor under the search bar
Type the name of your anchor (e.g. Topic1) in the pop-out on the right side of the screen in the Anchor Name field.
Repeat steps 2-6 for the remainder of your Heading 1 and Heading 3 titles
Type your Heading 1 and Heading 3 titles in the Table of Contents space
Highlight the first title
Select the Link icon
Type # and the name of the anchor you made for that title (e.g. #Topic1) and then press Enter
Repeat steps 8-11 for the other titles
Anchor Best Practices
Anchor names should be short, have no spaces, and be unique from one another (e.g. #Topic1, #Topic2, etc.).
Anchor names must be typed the same way they appear on the anchor when creating links.