Good Product Instructions Are Good Business
Well-structured product instructions are a cornerstone of successful business operations. Providing your customers and potential customers with clear, accessible help in a format they find useful not only enhances their experience but also drives business growth and customer loyalty.
Lack of Measurement
Despite the importance of instructions, most companies overlook their instructional performance. There is no bell that rings for every product successfully set up, and businesses neglect to systematically review customer feedback or analyze support tickets. This lack of focus results in missed opportunities to improve user satisfaction and reduce support costs.
A New Opportunity: EU Regulations
Recent EU regulations have brought product instructions into focus, establishing a compliance baseline for companies to improve their instructional quality. These regulations aim to ensure that end-users have the information they need to safely and effectively use products. We believe these changes will not only benefit consumers but also enhance business performance in the long term.
Introducing the Product Instruction Action Plan
To help your business navigate these new requirements, we’ve developed the Product Instruction Action Paln – a 14-point checklist designed to evaluate key areas of compliance, user experience and success of product instructions. These points are divided into two main categories:
- GPSR Compliance
- User Experience & Discoverability
While GPSR compliance covers the larger set of requirements, it includes practical, consumer-focused elements that help ensure products are both safe and easy to use. By addressing these areas, businesses can meet regulatory expectations while creating a seamless user experience.
Here is the full list of concepts covered in the Action Plan:
GPSR Compliance
| Concept | Why Is This Important? |
|---|---|
| Clearly linked / or display from the product page in online store | Any instructions & setup guides should be available to potential customers before purchase. |
| Clearly linked from website | Any instructions & setup guides should be available to potential customers before purchase. |
| Responsive and accessible design on mobile, PC and tablets | User manuals and instructions should be able to be accessed across devices for all users. |
| Instruction available to print in an accessible format | An option to print in a clear and usable way. |
| Comprehensive Safety Information | Details on the safe use of the product, potential hazards and how to avoid them. |
| Product and Manufacturer information | Clear details about the manufacturer and the product (e.g., model, serial number, or batch number) |
| Safety issues are made clear throughout | Safety information should be shown both at the beginning and within the context of a step |
| Instructions available in the language of the market in clear and accessible ways | Different languages of your instructions need to be clearly presented as separate documents. |
| Diagrams & photos have related text | For accessibility reasons, diagrams and text must be supported with text |
| Ability to ask for help | Customer support channels must be clearly labeled in the instructions |
User Experience & Discoverability
| Concept | Why Is This Important? |
|---|---|
| Easily found in Google | End users often look for instructions directly in Google |
| Easily found in ChatGPT | End users often ask ChatGPT for instructions. |
| Logical, step-by-step structure in the correct order | A clear step-by-step structure with any elements that need to be completed before others in the right order. |
| Ability to give feedback | Understand directly from end users if your instructions are helpful or not. |
Take Action Today
Request your Product Instruction Action Plan today to assess where your instructions work and where improvements are needed. The health check will help you create product instructions that not only enhance user satisfaction but also drive business success and ensure regulatory compliance.
