Think about this: a 15-year-old kid with no prior experience with electronics builds a transmitter and matching Variable Frequency Oscillator (think single frequency crystal replacement device) with only a saddle-bound manual to guide him.

It's not important that during the process of building the transmitter that this kid incorrectly wired the power supply for 240VAC because, in his 15 year old mind, configuring the kit that way (instead of for the correct 115VAC) would make the transmitter "more powerful."

What is important point is that the Heathkit manual was written and illustrated so well that this teenager was able to troubleshoot the problem, retrace his steps, correct the wiring, and successfully finish the transmitter (a classic DX-60B)!

Back in the day, Heathkit's manuals were well known for their excellence, and they set the standard for effective technical writing. The manuals were written so well that that the only people returning kits to the company for repair were people who believed that they were too smart to read them(and sadly, according to a Heathkit employee, most of those people were electrical engineers).

This excellence was not an accident. Heathkit manuals were rigorously tested with customers before they were shipped with the kits.

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Testing of content with real customers is a step that is too often skipped over these days--leading to angry customers, frustrated craft, costly returns, and lost sales.

A manual is a functional component of your system. Treat it like any other component and test it with your customer (or people who represent your customer) before you ship it! Have your customer review the manual and attempt to install or activate your system using your manual as the guide while you watch them. Ask the customer for an honest assessment of the manual and, if you can, observe the customer during the process, note where they have difficulty, and modify the manual accordingly. Good manuals create good outcomes for customers and companies.

Perhaps, the best objective should be to design your manual so that a 15-year-old kid, like I was some 34 years ago, could successfully install, troubleshoot, configure, or operate your product!