For practice, I documented the steps required to load e-books from the library’s Axis 360 e-book service into its axisReader mobile app. This tutorial marked my first times using Microsoft Publisher and an Android app (via my Nook HD tablet) to create a manual.
Download the “axisReader App Tutorial” (PDF)
The tutorial was inspired by Japanese comic books (called manga) and the reading guides that come with them. Manga is drawn top-to-bottom, right-to-left to fit the written Japanese language. This format doesn’t change when it is published in English-speaking countries. To help manga newcomers, publishers add guides that show the correct way to read the “backwards” pages.
I combined the structure of these instructional guides with the overall manga style. Mimicking dialogue bubbles, I wrote the instructions in colored text boxes. I was undecided about this tactic. I tried eliminating the text boxes in an alternative version, fearing they looked clunky. While this simplified the tutorial’s overall look, the text looked bad just floating on the page, and it destroyed the manga theme. I kept them.
Arrow-shaped text boxes represent processes. For example, if tapping a certain option loads a new screen, I wrote that result within an arrow. Then I pointed the arrow at a screenshot showing the outcome.
Getting the right shape and size for the arrows took some work. I even tried curving the arrows downward in an earlier draft. Ultimately, the straight arrows took up the least amount of space and looked the best.
I adopted the same color scheme as the axisReader app: green, black, white, and gray. The page background is light green to create better contrast. The typical page background colors—white, black, or gray—swallowed screenshots of the same background colors. The text boxes are medium green to contrast with the light background. Lastly, all text is black.