All of the technical manuals included visuals of some form, whether that be images, screenshots, illustrations, or diagrams.

AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit: Includes an image of the reverberation unit on the front page of the manual. On the second page, images of individual parts—the reverb section, delay section, remote, and rear panel—are provided.

GRIGRI Belay Device: Includes illustrations and labelled diagrams of the device demonstrating the various parts. The information is delivered via different “comic strips.”

Rotary Phone: Includes an image of the rotary phone on the front page of the manual. Under the “installation” section, there are four diagrams illustrating the different features of the phone.

Nexus 7: Includes various pictures and diagrams. For instance, there is a diagram demonstrating how a customer would charge their Nexus 7. Screenshots of widgets as well as labelled pictures of the interface are provided as well.

Each of the manuals provide the company’s contact information in some form.

AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit: Includes the company’s address (77 Selleck Street, Stamford, CT 06902) and phone number (203-348-2121) on the bottom of the last page of the manual.

GRIGRI Belay Device: Provides a link to their website, www.petzi.com, for further information and a GRIGRI video for users to access if they have unanswered questions after reading the manual.

Rotary Phone: First page of the manual provides ProTelX’s address (Suite B, Floor 8 St James House, Pendleton Way, Salford Manchester M6 5FW) as well as their customer service number (0845 521 4095) and website (www.protelx.com). This information is in a large, bold font so customers can easily find it.

Nexus 7: Second page of the manual has the following statement: “For online help and support, visit support.google.com/nexus.”

All the user/technical manuals provide information about the product’s capabilities.

AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit: Includes a list of features on the front page of the manual, from “optional M-250 Digital Delay Line” to “remote control of reverb time.”

GRIGRI Belay Device: Includes a “nomenclature of parts” section, which displays the various parts of the device. Additionally, the manual has a “working principle” section, which describes how the GRIGRI works.

Rotary Phone: Includes an “adjustment” section, which describes how a customer can change parts of the phone to their preference. It also has information on how to receive, initiate, and end calls.

Nexus 7: Introduces many features starting from the “play & explore” category on page 7. Other features that are demonstrated include accessibility and security options, managing accounts, connecting to WIFI, etc.

The technical manuals have some form of a step-by-step tutorial that guides the customers in setting up and using the product.

AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit: The description at the beginning of the manual describes how the module can be operated remotely through an “optional extension cable up to 30 feet away from the reverb section.” Under the heading, “Technical Data,” the manual includes information about decay time as well as adjustments the customer can make to the nominal input level.

GRIGRI Belay Device: Includes a section titled “setting up and installation of the GRIGRI 2,” which gives a visual explanation of how the descender works. There is also a text explanation in the following pages. The instructions are given in a sequential, logical order.

Rotary Phone: Includes an “installation” section, which describes how the customer must connect the telephone line cord to the line jack. There are numbers in the text which correspond to the appropriate diagram below.

Nexus 7: Provides instructions about setting up the tablet under the “Get Started” section. Users are walked through how to turn the tablet on, sign in, and charge the battery; other tips about Google Play widgets, notifications, and Google Search are provided as well.

The user manuals all warn the customers about potential dangers when using the product.

AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit: States the maximum permissible input level, recommended load impedance, power requirements, operating temperature range, as well as maximum permissible inclination while the reverberation unit is in operation.

GRIGRI Belay Device: Includes sections about a partner safety check as well as a function test. The manual states that the user of the GRIGRI must sharply tug on the rope to verify that the rope jams in the GRIGRI 2. A warning in all caps and bolded cautions that “if the rope does not jam, there is a danger of death for the climber.”

Rotary Phone: Includes an “important safety instructions” section in which it warns against installing telephone wiring during a lightning storm, installing telephone jacks in wet locations, touching uninsulated telephone wires, or placing the phone on an unstable surface.

Nexus 7: Includes the following warning statements: “If you stop some apps or services, your device may not work correctly,” “encryption is irreversible,” and “if you interrupt the encryption process, you will lose data.”

The AKG BX-25E and BX-25ED Two-Channel Reverberation Unit manual includes a blurb at the beginning that describes the improvements of the BX-25E compared to the BX-20E, its predecessor; there is also more technical data provided compared to other manuals.

The GRIGRI Belay Device manual is translated into different languages, including French, German, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

The Rotary Phone manual places their guarantee on the front page to ensure its visibility to customers.

The Nexus 7 manual has a table of contents at the beginning and is significantly longer and more text-heavy than the others.

The main purpose of the user/technical manual is to connect customers to the company that provides the product. The user manual must be able to properly communicate instructions to the customers; otherwise, regardless of how helpful a product can potentially be, if the customers are not able to utilize it properly, the product is ultimately rendered useless.

Each of the user manuals above are structured in different ways. Whereas some are more text-heavy—like the Nexus 7 guidebook—others rely more on visuals—such as the GRIGRI manual. Nonetheless, the genre of user manuals is rigid in the sense that there are certain guidelines for the content and design of these guidebooks. In terms of content, manuals need to use simple, plain language. Instructions are often step-by-step, concise, and easy to understand. Descriptions of common scenarios as well as troubleshooting tips are provided as well.

As for the design, user manuals often utilize visuals. The font should be large and legible—the example manuals all utilized sans-serif fonts, which are usually easier to read. The design should also be consistent throughout the entire manual; not only is this more visually pleasing, but it also helps customers navigate the content.