Milestone 1: Overview

In Milestone 1, you will create troubleshooting pages for your device. A troubleshooting page helps your readers diagnose what is wrong with their device and provides solutions, including directing them to the correct guide when appropriate.

Checklist

You are finished with this milestone when each troubleshooting page:

  • Has the correct title

    • Includes the specific user-observed symptom in the page title

    • Uses proper spelling, punctuation, and the correct device name

    • Excludes extra descriptive words, such as "laptop," "printer," or "smartphone"

  • Is properly formatted

    • Headings are possible causes of the symptom experienced by the user

    • Solutions are explained in short paragraphs below each heading

  • Provides a detailed explanation of the symptom in the summary field so that a user will know if they have the same problem

  • Discusses all of the possible causes of each symptom in depth

  • Outlines the necessary steps a user must take to return their device to working condition

  • Includes placeholders for links to future guides (actual guide links are added after completing Milestone 3)

  • Incorporates all feedback from the iFixit technical writing team

Email Us When...

...your troubleshooting pages are complete. We’ll be happy to look them over and offer feedback! Our email address is techwriting[at]ifixit[dot]com.

Overview

A troubleshooting page helps users diagnose a malfunctioning device. Each troubleshooting page should focus on a single symptom and describe all possible causes and solutions of that symptom. Causes should be arranged in order of probability, starting with the most likely cause and ending with the least likely.

Any number of things may be wrong with a user’s device, which can make problem diagnosis tricky. The Dell XPS 17 9720 Won’t Power On troubleshooting page, for example, lists several causes, including Battery Needs to Be Charged, Laptop Needs a Cold Reboot, and Power Supply Failure. Often, several potential causes exist for any particular symptom.

It is crucial that your troubleshooting information be as accurate as possible. Writing a good troubleshooting page requires a substantial amount of research—scouring forums, product manuals, and enthusiast sites. It should comprise the most common causes of the particular symptom and what solutions have worked for people in the past. It is very important that a troubleshooting page be thorough and descriptive.

Example Pages

The following examples give a good idea of what your completed troubleshooting page should look like.