There are several types of user documentation you may want to incorporate into your user guide to make it more helpful.

• Tutorial. This is a hands-on lesson giving an example of how to create a project. If your software is versatile enough to create multiple types of projects, you may want to include multiple tutorials. Generally, two types of tutorial are available:
  • Article Tutorial – This is a written step-by-step instructional process.
  • Video Tutorial – This is a visual step-by-step instructional process. This is one of the best types of user documentation for people who have no experience with your software.
• A how-to guide. This feature tells users how to solve a real-world problem with step-by-step instructions. The target audience is slightly more experienced than the tutorial users.
• A reference guide. This is technical documentation covering the software’s UI dialogs, settings, configurations, and parameters.
• Explanations. These can cover any added topics you think are worth discussing in-depth. Pieces of the explanation are often scattered around in tutorials and other features.