How to Write a Tutorial

Tutorials are instructional documents that guide users through a series of steps to achieve a specific goal. This guide will help you create tutorials following the Divio Documentation System, ensuring your tutorials are informative and easy to follow.

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with the Divio Documentation System.
• Understanding of the topic or technology you are teaching.
• Access to any necessary tools or software required for the tutorial.

Goal

To craft a step-by-step tutorial that is clear, concise, and helpful to the reader, enabling them to achieve a specific task or understand a concept in depth.

Step 1: Define Your Audience and Objective

Knowing your audience and what you want them to achieve is crucial in structuring your tutorial.

1. Identify Your Audience: Understand their skill level and prerequisites.
2. Set a Clear Objective: Define a specific, achievable goal for the tutorial.

Step 2: Outline the Tutorial Structure

A well-planned structure ensures that your tutorial flows logically and covers all necessary steps.

1. Break Down the Task: List the steps needed to achieve the objective.
2. Organize Logically: Arrange the steps in a sequence that builds on knowledge progressively.

Step 3: Write the Tutorial

With your outline in place, start filling in the details for each step.

1. Introduction: Briefly describe the tutorial's goal and what the user will learn.
2. Prerequisites: List any required knowledge, materials, or setup needed before starting.
3. Step-by-Step Instructions: Detail each step clearly. Use subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists to enhance readability.
4. Include Examples: Provide examples and use cases to illustrate how each step is applied in practice.
5. Add Screenshots or Diagrams: Visual aids can help clarify complex steps or illustrate the expected outcomes.
6. Tips and Troubleshooting: Offer advice for common problems or mistakes that might occur during the process.

Step 4: Validate and Test the Tutorial

Ensure that your tutorial works as intended and is easy to follow.

1. Run Through the Tutorial: Follow the steps as written to verify they are clear and lead to the desired outcome.
2. Ask for Feedback: Have someone else read the tutorial to identify any confusing sections or errors.
3. Revise Accordingly: Update the tutorial based on the feedback and your own testing to improve clarity and accuracy.

Step 5: Conclusion and Further Reading

Wrap up your tutorial with a summary and suggestions for further exploration.

1. Summarize Key Points: Recap the main steps and what the user has learned.
2. Suggest Next Steps: Recommend related tutorials, documentation, or resources to further the reader's understanding or skills.

Conclusion

Writing a tutorial requires careful planning, clear writing, and thorough testing. By following these steps, you'll create a valuable resource that not only achieves its educational goal but also provides a satisfying learning experience for your audience.

Template

Copy and paste this template into a new document to begin writing a new Reference article.

# Title of the Tutorial

Briefly introduce the topic of the tutorial and its significance. Explain what the reader will achieve by following this tutorial.

- **Objective:** What will the reader learn?
- **Prerequisites:** What should the reader know or have installed/setup before starting?
- **(Optional)Estimated Time:** How long will the tutorial take to complete?

## Step 1: [Name of Step 1]

Describe the first step of the tutorial. Provide clear, concise instructions and explain why this step is necessary.

- Detail any commands that need to be run, code that needs to be written, or actions to be performed.
- Include screenshots or code blocks as necessary to illustrate the step.


## Step 2: [Name of Step 2]

Follow the same format as Step 1, adapting for the next part of the tutorial. Repeat for as many steps as necessary to achieve the tutorial objective.

## [Additional Steps]

...

## Conclusion

Summarize what the reader has learned and accomplished by completing the tutorial. Highlight the key takeaways and any significant points.

## See Also

Provide links to additional resources for readers who want to explore the topic in more depth. This could include links to official documentation, related tutorials, or deeper dives into specific concepts mentioned in the tutorial.

- [Resource Name](URL)
- [Another Resource](URL)