This document covers the development process for designers and developers of information for users of software. It describes how to establish what information users need, how to determine the way in which that information should be presented, and how to prepare the information and make it available. It is not limited to the design and development stage of the life cycle, but includes information on design throughout the life cycle, such as design strategy and maintaining a design. This document provides requirements for the structure, information content, and format of information for users of software. This document can be applied to developing the following types of information, although it does not cover all aspects of them: - information for users of products other than software; - multimedia systems using animation, video, and sound; - computer-based training (CBT) packages and specialized course materials intended primarily for use in formal training programs; - maintenance information describing the internal operation of systems software; - information for users incorporated into the user interface itself. This document is applicable to information architects and information developers, including a variety of specialists: - information architects who plan the structure and format of information products; - usability specialists and business analysts who identify the tasks that the intended users can perform with the software; - developers and editors of the written content of information for users; - graphic designers with expertise in electronic media; - user interface designers and ergonomics experts working together to design the presentation of the information on the screen. This document is also a reference for those with other roles and interests in the process of developing information for users: - managers of the software development process or the information-development process; - acquirers of information for users prepared by suppliers; - usability testers, reviewers of information for users, subject-matter experts; - developers of tools for creating information for users; - human-factors experts who identify principles for making information for users more accessible and easily used.
- Sponsor Committee
- C/S2ESC - Software & Systems Engineering Standards Committee
Learn More - Status
- Active Standard
- PAR Approval
- 2018-12-05
- Superseding
- 26514-2010
- Board Approval
- 2021-12-08
- History
-
- Published:
- 2022-01-21
Working Group Details
- Society
- IEEE Computer Society
Learn More - Sponsor Committee
- C/S2ESC - Software & Systems Engineering Standards Committee
Learn More - Working Group
-
26514_WG - 26514 User Documentation Design Working Group
Learn More - IEEE Program Manager
- Patricia Roder
Contact - Working Group Chair
- Annette Reilly
No Active Projects
No Active Standards
No Superseded Standards
No Inactive-Withdrawn Standards
26514-2010
IEEE Standard for Adoption of ISO/IEC 26514:2008 Systems and Software Engineering--Requirements for Designers and Developers of User Documentation
This standard provides requirements for the design and development of software user documentation as part of the life cycle processes. It defines the documentation process from the viewpoint of the documentation developer. It also covers the documentation product. It specifies the structure, content, and format for user documentation, and also provides informative guidance for user documentation style. It is independent of the software tools that may be used to produce documentation, and applies to both printed documentation and on-screen documentation. Much of this standard is also applicable to user documentation for systems including hardware.