Clear instructions on how to install and use the product, A manual that meets all legal requirements, A design that meets his company's brand identity, Description of how to use/operate the product, Troubleshooting section and instructions on how to solve problems, Information on disposal of the product and packaging. The user plays the central role when drawing up a user manual. Download Brand Manual Template and edit in a simple way. Let’s dive into the details and actions. Ask the translator or agency about their quality procedures and who is going to revise the text after translation. Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. These documents, which usually come in booklet form, are extremely useful. The description of the intended use determines which instructions are given in the rest of the manual. The template contains all the information and more from the list above. Speaking of the binding, also consider the type of binding for your manual. You can customize it using InDesign CS4 or higher. Besides that, upon request from a consumer, a paper user manual should be made available to the consumer. Find documents by disciplines. Compliance with harmonised standards provides a presumption of conformity with the corresponding legislation! He created a separate quick start guide to be provided with the product as well. Use a bold typeface for all product elements. Once the user manual has been reviewed and optimized, the texts are more or less definite. Information on packaging waste shall be included. Action: place all safety messages in the right location in the user manual. So, Philip has just created the (sub-)titles for his topics. Often, photos are not as informative because they contain too much information. This Brand Guidelines offers to you a modern and easy way to edit your own design. By describing the intended use you determine the safe envelope of the product. Read this article if you need to create a user manual for your machinery, electrical product, toy or medical device yourself, download one of our templates and follow the steps as described in this case study. To indicate the degree of hazard that may be encountered by the user, the signal words “Danger”, “Warning” and “Caution” should be used. I provided him with some general information about user instructions and with some good examples of existing user manuals. As a user wants information at the moment he/she needs it and thus does not think in channels, the best approach would be to provide the instructions omni-platform. For example, if a cooling system is only used for cooling certain medications, then only these procedures need to be described. Elements of user manual template: User manuals are created by vendors, manufacturers and companies for end users to guide them properly about how to open and use the product, device, machine or manufactured goods handily. With a persona, you make some reasonable assumptions about the characteristics of your user. Most time and money needs to be spent on product development and setting up the sales channels. In the first part of the specific section: In the Preface any supplemental directives can be placed, such as. This is especially true if your users don’t have any experience dealing with your product.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'templatelab_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_17',127,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'templatelab_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_18',127,'0','1'])); Aside from the content, it’s also important to think about your manual’s design. Determine what topics will become chapters by adding chapter numbers. That’s how Philip created a compliant user manual with help from the User Manuals Template and the other available tools that I provided. Keep in mind that when a customer purchases a product, he may encounter problems. Because of this, you can use them on a smaller-sized text. Make the layout of this page different from the rest. Packaging contents and Tools to be used). Explore. I asked Philip to structure the topics and define their place in the user manual, by assigning a certain topic to a specific chapter or (sub-)paragraph. When you know how to work with Adobe Indesign, or are willing to learn to work with it, this will offer you much greater design possibilities. Otherwise your manual might fall apart when your user reads through it. We will add some more chapters in the next step. Action: place the content from your Word file into the Indesign template. Determine what topics will become sub-paragraphs by adding the subsection numbers. There are many great tools that can help you create your images, such as: I advised Philip not to use photos as a cheap alternative for illustrations. It can be a chapter or a (sub-)paragraph. Alternatively, you can do this yourself, of course. I asked him to adjust the table of contents of the template according to his own table of contents. Step 8 Create the Content for Your User Manual Template Write the Intended Use. Do that. In the left column of the Lifecycle tab, the stages of a product’s lifecycle are mentioned. This high-quality brand manual template for Adobe InDesign was created by Boris Cupac, an Adobe Stock contributor and graphic designer specializing in business publications and magazines. As we can say that punctuality and good behavior is actually a part of job, so the training manual template will assist the people to learn the major milestones about training before starting the workshop. Determine what topics will become paragraphs by adding the section numbers. However, there are several other tools to help the user finding the information he/she wants, such as: I asked Philip to update the table of contents and add page numbering and an index. When a user has solved the problem, he/she will go and solve the next problem. Action: Adjust the User Manual Template to fit your brand identity, or download the InDesign user manual template and adjust it. This may also be describing special tools or space for maintenance and repair. The reason to wait until the texts are ready is that creating or editing images can be time-consuming. In doing this, you’ll be able to put more effort in the content which is actually more important. In other words: Philip has defined the topics for his user manual. Philip is a Swedish 34-year business owner and inventor of the ISOVOX2, a portable vocal studio. Even though the intended use has now been clearly defined, this does not mean that using a product is completely without any risks. Without removing and mandatory elements of course... Do you remember from step 4 that I asked to start the numbering of the sections with chapter 4? It would contain a lot of details pertaining to the product’s functions. This is very useful especially for those who want to know everything they can about what they bought. I asked Philip to fill out the template. It should teach them how to use the features and functionalities effectively. The results are as follows: This article describes exactly the steps we followed. Use this easily customizable free InDesign template for a variety of marketing needs. In such cases, it’s helpful to give a definition of the terms as well, along with some background. Then all you have to do is focus on the content of your manual. Even with such sizes, the reader will still be able to understand the text. Here are some tips to guide you: The most important part of an operation manual template is the content. The ToC is the outline of your user manual. Do this so your users won’t get overwhelmed by all the steps. If applicable, modify sections 1-3 and the appendices according to your own needs. Later we will add some more topics/sections, like the Introduction, Safety Information etc., so don’t worry about adding that now. Include them with your products to help your customers learn more about them. There is one exception, however. There are different kinds of templates you can create. It’s a technical document which provides the required explanations. Basically, you should try and work with three levels of headings: first-, second- and third-level headings. Here are some benefits of user manual template: As you can see, manuals are really useful and beneficial. Look for a translator with similar experience. This template features plenty of InDesign layout … Since the template has been designed in format, you will be able to send it directly to pre-production. Leaving out any important detail out might cause problems for you. Action: write the intended use and the reasonably foreseeable misuse of your product. Name it ‘Section’. You don’t want to have to create a template over and over again. In order to do so, I created another template for Philip. For his product, it means that the following information is required for the user manual for his product: EU (relevant CE marking directives: LVD, EMC, RoHS, WEEE, REACH): Besides this legislation, there also is an international standard for user manuals, the IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019. You can create a template on your own or download one from here. If you want to know more about creating images: Before we start making it look nice and translate the content, we want to be sure that the content is complete. In addition, 2D Design V2 provides an intuitive tool to compile design folder pages by importing photographs, scanned sketches and research material alongside CAD drawings – the possibilities are endless. Logo & Brand Identity Guidelines Mockup: 14-16 Client Guidelines Template for Download. Typical problems might include: installing the product, using the product, using the product safely, maintaining the product and disposing of the product. Finding the right information that solves the user’s problem should take as little time as possible. In some cases, a product is intended to be used by different types of users. A good user manual assists users on how to use a product safely, healthily and effectively. to assist the user in completing specific tasks. Make sure terms are familiar to the user, technical features and terms are well explained and use terms consistently. Provide conceptual information when information is necessary for adequate understanding and execution of tasks. Copyright 2015 INSTRKTIV | All Rights Reserved | Privacy, Join the 12,000 subscribers to our newsletter, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/persona/, http://www.astauthors.co.uk/aboutast/articles/determiningyouraudience.php, https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/08/a-closer-look-at-personas-part-1/, https://www.prismnet.com/~hcexres/textbook/aud.html, How to Create Compliant Manuals for the EU, How to Create Compliant Manuals for the US, Content changes may require many extra DTP hours. Then the manufacturers would include it in the packaging of the product. Serif fonts look good but they may not be right for smaller text. Now I asked Philip to create all other content, such as the procedures, technical specs and legal information. A4 & US Letter Kingsley Brief Template. The free template is a more generic one. Importance of Training Manual Template. This is the result: Action: Create a visualization of your user. The crafting of meaningful headings is one of the tools that aid users in finding information. 26,000+ Vectors, Stock Photos & PSD files. I asked Philip to identify the problems and solutions that his user might encounter during the product lifecycle. The template would also contain instructions on how the user would do certain tasks. It is a standard format that can be used by organizations. Of course, making such a document requires a lot of thought and careful consideration. If you want to create a successful manual, develop your user’s profile. A user manual is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people on how to use a product. What describes the user? This manual would contain information on how to best use the product. Lockout/Tagout before servicing. There are different operation manual template formats. In general, the legislation requires that your product is ‘safe’ and therefore gives general safety requirements your product should meet. Download Pack of 60 Training Manual Templates Examples PDFs in One Click . The way the intended use is described also determines your liability and affects the further contents of the user manual. The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) contains information about current standards relating to the design, assessment and operation of motorway and all-purpose trunk roads in the United Kingdom. There are different types of binding you can use for instruction manuals. You also have to include any and all information related to troubleshooting. The paid templates already contain the mandatory legal parts for machinery, toys, electrical equipment or medical devices, which means that you can skip step 6. I email a few times a month and never share your email. Such manuals would contain everything the company would like its employees to know. Find & Download Free Graphic Resources for Manual Template. You can create your own template from scratch or download one from here. So if you want to take defining your user one step further, I would suggest you visualise your user in the form of a persona. I created this template in Indesign and asked Philip to adjust it to match his brand identity. Action: Find a translator or agency that fits your needs and have your user manual translated. TemplateLab is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. Other names, or other forms of a user manual, might be: Besides the primary goal of a user manual (to assist a user), secondary goals could be creating a better user experience and meeting legal requirements. Operational Manual Template An operational manual template can be state as a booklet which user as a road map for starting and completing the operations of business, equipment and device. They appear in the ToC, so the user can navigate to the needed information. How to make an instruction manual template, Choose appropriate content for your manual template, Design a manual that’s readable and interesting, 47 Useful Behavior Plan Templates (BIP Examples), 50 Professional Development Plan Templates (Free), 21 US Passport Photo Templates (100% Free), 49 Prayer Journal Templates (Kids / Adults), 45 Free Pie Chart Templates (Word, Excel & PDF), The functions and capabilities of the product, The installation instructions written in detail, Safety guidelines, precautions, and health-related issues if any, A troubleshooting section which includes technical instructions, A table of contents along with the references of materials. Use the structure as shown above for the first, second and third level heading. This is especially true if you have different products or equipment. I decided to walk him through the entire process and developed an instruction manual template for him. To write better instructions, use the Principles of. A great training manual is easy to navigate. This training manual format which is provided in this post, is our best example of high quality. With it, they can even perform preventive maintenance on their gadgets and devices. Manufacturers put a lot of effort into designing the manual template. If the defectiveness of a product needs to be determined, all circumstances will be taken into account. User manuals can be created using a variety of tools. Exclude unnecessary material to avoid information overload (for example sales promotion, extensive repetition etc). Leave us your e-mail address and stay up to date with relevant information, our ongoing projects, and what we have to say on social media! Now all text has been created, the safety messages can be placed in the right place. The second-level headings should use the ‘how what’ style of phrasing (e.g. Download the free user manual template Word 2013 or 2007. You can download the free template here: Take the shortest way to a compliant manual. I have also created an IEC 82079 checklist that can be used to double check that your user manual complies with this standard. The template you will create must depend on what you need. Here’s what happened. To identify the hazards that come with the use of a product, you can conduct a risk analysis. The first-level heading describes what the entire chapter or section is about (e.g. If you need to translate to several languages, working with a translation agency might save you lots of time. With Canva's drag and drop feature, you can customize your design for any occasion in just a few clicks. There is only one difference. Usually, this manual template comes in the form of the booklet. A well-designed manual contributes to a better brand and user experience. Such a document would contain the following information: These are important parts of an instruction manual template. A product can be a system, tool, device, an instrument, a piece of software or an app. A risk analysis should be conducted to determine the residual risks related to the use of the product. This would determine how much information you will include about your product. Practice Consistency in the Style and the Tone of Your Writing. Use of TemplateLab is subject to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. As you know your product best and who your audience is, it might be a good idea to provide the translator or agency a glossary or a list with the terminology that you want to use. I asked Philip to redirect his headings and to take notice of the following general guidelines: Action: Write new headings for your ToC entries. Free templates Explore thousands of beautiful free templates. And once you have determined the intended use, you can focus on providing only those safety and user instructions for how to use the product within the given envelope. Action: Use this template and the instructions on the first tab to identify the problems your user might have during the lifecycle of your product and present their solutions. Action: conduct a risk analysis and craft your safety messages using this template. Master pages with automatic numbering, grid-based file and paragraphs styles will help with technical issues. A horizontal A4 sized brand identity Guidelines template for him ISOVOX website, i have created template. Sell his product in a simple way law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law or. Fits your needs and have your user manual gets its own heading with a translation might... And Privacy Policy placed in the form of the terms as well heading, make sure all information. Also consider the type of product or are there similar products out there they need to work an... Make your manual has been created, the IEC/IEEE 82079 to design a modern and way... 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