IEC 82079-1 in a nutshell

It is here: the IEC 82079-1. What does the standard deal with? What are the significant changes vis a vis EN 62079:2001? What must technical writers adapt to?

Text by Matthias Schulz

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IEC 82079-1 in a nutshell

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The IEC 82079-1 “Erstellen von Gebrauchsanleitungen” [Creating user manuals] as successor to the EN 62079 of 2001 is a so-called horizontal standard. It does not apply to just a specific product or sector, but contains rules across sectors for almost all branches of the industry. This concept has a considerable impact on the contents of the standard.

Many users of the standard would like to know what exactly they need to add to their manuals. “Is it necessary to include this or that?” is often the question.  However, the IEC 82079-1 answers such questions only to a moderate degree – it deals more with the “how” and less with the “what”:

  • How should manuals be prepared, i.e. what steps lead to a result of high value?
  • How should technical writers and translators be qualified?
  • How should instructions be presented, i.e. what fonts are suitable, what should be considered during layout ...