Manual Creation, Quality Improvement, CMS Implementation Case Studies

 

 Request from GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH LABORATORY

The Geological Science Research Institute provides services in the fields of civil engineering design, ground disaster prevention, and underground environment based on geology, geotechnical engineering, and computer technology, including measurement, simulation, and visualization.

 

We received an inquiry on the Human Science website stating, "We would like to outsource the creation of manuals for our new software scheduled for sale."

 

Geo-Graphia^®, a software for creating and managing 3D data of terrain and strata, has already been test-marketed, but feedback from users

 

I don't know where the desired operation is written.

I cannot understand the terms being explained.

 

There have been voices saying that manuals like these are difficult to understand.

In addition,

 

Since the manual production is being carried out in parallel with the development by one developer, there are circumstances such as not being able to keep up with updates.

 

・Since we are adding features to create manuals, there may be features that are not covered in the manuals,
and there is a possibility that what is written in the manuals may not actually function.

 

You had challenges such as these.

 

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About GEOSCIENCE RESEARCH LABORATORY

Established 1997

Representative Director Hiroyuki Yokoyama

Number of Employees: 43 (as of the end of June 2015)

Business: Geological and rock mass investigation and analysis, simulation, software sales

Headquarters Location: 3-1-6 Yamato Higashi, Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture 242-0017

http://www.geolab.jp/

 

Solutions of Human Science

We proposed improvements to the manual based on the following two concepts for the challenges faced by the Geological Science Research Institute.

 

(1)Improvement of Searchability and Information Organization

 

1. Table of contents structure that leads to the desired content

Revised the overall structure of the manual and the table of contents to ensure that users can easily access the information they need.

 

2. Organizing the Topic Content

Organize information clearly and understandably so that the purpose and positioning of the manual can be understood at a glance.

(2)Improvement of Maintainability

We propose a reorganization of the entire manual's structure and content sharing in conjunction with the review of the booklet structure.

We recommend the use of a CMS (Content Management System) as a production environment to improve maintainability.

Since we have been using Word to create manuals, we chose "Author-it" for its user-friendly interface that is similar to Word.

For detailed information related to this case, please see below.

Creation of Manuals and User Guides

Manual Creation In-house Support Service

Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Service

DITA・CMS

Customer Feedback

Before requesting the creation from Human Science, we were creating manuals in-house, but due to limited time and manpower, we were in a state of trial and error, and we could not achieve user satisfaction in terms of quality.
The proposals from Human Science accurately pointed out the issues based on the current situation analysis, and the content and means of improvement presented a large-scale yet concrete plan, which was the deciding factor for placing the order.
Even after the actual work began, they steadily progressed with the revision of the manuals, and frequent information sharing was conducted through regular meetings, allowing us to confidently entrust the work until completion.
We are very satisfied with the finished manuals, which were designed with usability and readability in mind.

From Human Science representatives

We often receive requests from various companies saying, "We are creating manuals in-house, but we are unable to keep up, and the quality is not improving, so we would like to see improvements."

In the case of the Geological Science Research Institute, it was reported that users were unable to find the necessary information in the manual, leading to a high number of inquiries. Therefore, we proposed improvements focusing on the usability of the manual.

Due to the highly specialized nature of the product and the large volume of the manual, the project extended over a long period of time. We received significant cooperation from the client in providing information and reviewing drafts, and I am very pleased to hear that we were able to achieve a quality that meets their satisfaction.

We would like to continue to be of assistance with manual revisions and maintenance operation support in the future.

Related Services

Creation of Manuals and User Guides

Manual Creation In-house Support Service

Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Service

DITA・CMS