USER MANUAL CRITIQUE

User Manual Critique



User Manual Critique

A review of Microsoft Excel XP User Guide

The user manual chosen for review is Microsoft Excel XP User Guide version 2002. (http://www.library.arizona.edu/documents/ust/excel-xp_userguide.pdf)This will be a critique of the user manual layout, use of graphics/illustrations, organization, and overall ease of the written instruction component provided in the Microsoft Office XP Excel User Guide version 2002.

Upon opening the user manual, the objectives are numbered and listed in a clear, concise fashion with headings in bold and then subtasks listed underneath each heading.

The manual then transitions into the introduction and overview which briefly describes what will be covered in the first module; the basic functions of Excel, followed by a quiz on basic demands. It then proceeds to define the purpose and uses of a spreadsheet, the column, the cell, and the row. Illustrations point to each object defined with an arrow (Donald & James, 1998).

The next part talks and explains the options for navigation within a spreadsheet, short cut keys, and how to work with multiple sheets within one workbook. Following this are steps on how to delete, move, copy, or rename a spreadsheet, and then it jumps right into how to click on a cell. I found there were some steps missing in this section. In the most user manuals the steps progress from the smallest component to the largest; in which case the selecting of the cell would discuss first, and then the worksheet itself.

The next section goes into formatting auto filling and entering formulas. Again the logical rhythm of the manual seems choppy and erratic here. One would think they would discuss formulas prior to formatting tools like Bold and Underline, after all, the main purpose of Excel is for it to perform as an electronic ledger. (The manual states this at the very beginning under the Purposes and Uses heading.)

With sketchy visuals, the manual proceeds to explain how to copy and move data between cells. Then we go directly into inserting functions, one of the most difficult skills to master with any version of Excel. It then goes on to describe the difference between relative cell references, and absolute cell references. Somehow we then skip back to formatting by teaching how to delete paste, copy, or resize a column or a row. This should have been under the main formatting section back on the 8th page (Eric & Harshbarger, 1997).

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