eLearningbyDana

Guide

A reference resource that helps someone complete a task, make a decision, follow a process, or find important information while doing the work.

Guide

Put useful information where people can find it when they need it.

A guide is a reference resource that helps someone complete a task, make a decision, follow a process, or find important information while doing the work.

Guides can take many forms, including job guides, quick-reference guides, step-by-step instructions, checklists, process guides, troubleshooting resources, and digital help content.

Unlike training that is designed primarily to build knowledge or skill over time, a guide is often designed to support performance at the moment someone needs help.

A Good Guide Helps People Perform the Work

The value of a guide is not how much information it contains. The value is whether someone can quickly find and use what they need.

Supports a Task Provides instructions, reminders, or reference information while someone performs the work.
Supports Decisions Helps people determine what to do when different conditions, situations, or choices arise.
Reduces Recall Keeps people from having to memorize information they can reasonably look up when needed.
Creates Consistency Gives people a shared source for processes, standards, expectations, or required steps.
A guide should make the work easier to perform—not simply move training content into a document.

The Format Should Match What Someone Needs to Do

“Guide” is a broad term. The right format depends on the task, environment, amount of information, and how the resource will actually be used.

Step-by-Step Guide Walks someone through a task or process in a clear sequence.
Quick-Reference Guide Provides a compact reminder of key information, actions, settings, codes, or decisions.
Checklist Helps someone confirm that important actions, requirements, or conditions have been addressed.
Decision or Troubleshooting Guide Helps someone determine what to do based on a situation, symptom, condition, or result.
Digital Help or Embedded Guidance Places instructions or support inside the system, tool, or workflow where the person is performing the task.

Design the Guide for Finding and Using Information Quickly

Someone using a guide during work may be busy, interrupted, or trying to solve a problem quickly. The design should reflect that.

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Organize around the user's task. Structure information according to what someone is trying to do rather than how the source material was organized.
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Make information easy to scan. Use clear headings, short sections, lists, labels, whitespace, and meaningful visual hierarchy.
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Keep instructions direct. Use plain language and tell people what they need to do without burying the action in unnecessary explanation.
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Design for the real work environment. Consider whether the guide will be viewed on a phone, workstation, tablet, printed page, equipment station, help window, or another point of need.
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Plan for maintenance. Identify who owns the content and how the guide will be updated when processes, systems, or requirements change.

Sometimes a Guide Is the Better Learning Solution

Not every performance need requires a course. Before building training, consider whether people primarily need to learn something or simply access the right information while doing the work.

Useful Question Does the learner need to remember this—or do they mainly need to find and use it when the situation occurs?
A guide may be enough when... The task is infrequent, the information changes regularly, exact details matter, or a reliable reference can be used during performance.
Training may still be needed when... People need to build judgment, practice a skill, understand concepts, respond under pressure, or perform without access to the guide.
Sometimes both work together. Training can build understanding and practice, while the guide continues to support performance after the learning experience.
Start with the performance need. A guide is a solution—not simply an extra deliverable added to a training project.

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