Do you have any advice on how you write out your theme guides? I've always found them concise but still informative, and I'm trying to write out a guide of my own for a page I've made, but I'm not sure if I'm overexplaining and thus making the installation overwhelming
Thank you for the ask and I'm glad you think so! I will say that my guides aren't perfect and there are many areas to improve on, but after a few years, I do at least have a structure that I follow, which has been refined through trial and error (e.g. noting down how well users respond to different guide types and formats).
An example of an earlier guide (now no longer in use) including minimal explanations in a bunch of screenshots
My newest guide with improved annotations
I initially wrote my guides as word documents, but I quickly grew to dislike them as they felt too soulless and formal, so I tried using PowerPoints / slideshows instead which I've been using ever since, as it's easier for users (and myself, later on) to preview the sections and jump to the ones they need help with.
I use Slidesgo to pick a template that matches the theme I'm writing a guide for (e.g. I chose a retro template for my Web Zero guide) and import it into Google Slides (you can use classic PowerPoint if you prefer).
My slideshow guides generally follow this structure:
Title page with Slidesgo template credit / attribution
Table of contents
Basic installation instructions
Order of options as they appear
Walkthrough for each part of the theme (e.g. header, sidebar, posts)
Ending slides - where & how to ask for extra help
I like to include basic installation instructions on each guide because whilst it is also on my FAQ/support page, it doesn't hurt to include it again and have everything in one place from start to finish!
Here's a checklist of questions I ask myself from a user's perspective:
What part of the theme is it?
Where can I find it? Does it appear in multiple places?
What aspects can be customized?
Where can they be edited?
What are the options?
How can they be edited? (e.g. via text entry? via a dropdown list? does it need to follow a specific pattern or format?)
To answer these questions, I have a routine on what to include:
Name of what part it is (e.g. top bar)
Screenshot of what it looks like (which also helps for when users first install the theme/page and they notice that the same feature looks off/buggy)
Screenshot of the available options with color-coded annotations, e.g.:
Examples of an edited customization field and/or a link to a template users can copy from and modify, e.g.:
Anything else worth noting (e.g. suggested length for description text)
Also, over-explaining is always better than under-explaining! You can always "tap the sign" and point users to specific parts of the guide if they have questions that have already been addressed; or you can always rephrase your instructions/explanations if users find it confusing as you get feedback.
Hope this helps 💜
