This standard provides general principles and detailed requirements for the design and formulation of all types of instructions that will be necessary or helpful for products of all kinds ranging from small, simple ones, such as a tin of paint, to large or highly complex ones, such as a large industrial installation. It is intended for application by:
——Product manufacturers, technical writers, technical illustrators, software designers, translators or other people engaged in the work of conceiving and drafting such instructions;
——Authorized representatives of the product manufacturer in the country of product installation and/or usage.
It will also be helpful in contract negotiations between the product supplier and the customer.
This standard does not establish a fixed amount of documentation that has to be delivered together with a product. This would obviously not be possible because this standard has to be valid for all kinds of products but the amount of documentation very much depends on the complexity of the product. Therefore, this standard lists all possible kinds of instructions one can think of. What this standard does aim to standardize is how such instructions are to be prepared.
Foreword I
Introduction II
1 Scope 1
2 Normative References 1
3 Definitions 2
4 Principles 4
4.1 Instructions are part of the product 4
4.2 Minimizing risks 4
4.3 Special handling 4
4.4 Special target groups 4
4.5 Short-life products 4
4.6 Considerations as to the nature of instructions 4
4.7 Creating instructions 6
5 Content of Instructions 7
5.1 General 7
5.2 Identification and specification of the product, general warnings 7
5.3 Identification of instruction documents 8
5.4 Modification of products 8
5.5 Safety notes 8
5.6 Intended environment 8
5.7 Declaration of conformity 9
5.8 How to use the instruction materials 9
5.9 Preparing the product for use 9
5.10 Operating instructions 10
5.11 Maintenance instructions 11
5.12 List of spare parts 12
5.13 Instructions for special tools, equipment and materials 13
5.14 Instructions for repair and replacement of parts 13
5.15 Taking the product out of operation (decommissioning) 13
5.16 Table of contents, index and other lists, definitions, and meta-syntax 13
6 Presentation of Instructions 14
6.1 Communication principles 14
6.2 Legibility 15
6.3 Illustrations 15
6.4 Graphical symbols 16
6.5 Tables 16
6.6 Charts and diagrams 16
6.7 Flow-charts and flow diagrams 16
6.8 Electronic media, audio, video 16
6.9 Bringing warning notices into prominence 17
6.10 Colours and colour coding 17
6.11 Explanation of visual and audible indications 18
Annex A (informative) Assessment of Instructions for Use 19
Annex B (informative) Compliance Checklist; Technical Review 21
Annex C (informative) Evaluation Checklist; Presentation Review 23
Annex D (informative) Example of a Table of Contents of a User Manual 26
