The TTR500 QuickStart Guide

Context:

I was hired by Tektronix to create the documentation set for a new hardware product, the TTR500 Vector Network Analyzer. For this project, I created 8 documents, from a single-page datasheet to a 300-page user guide.

The Quick Start Guide (QSG) is the only document that is physically packaged with the product. It is also typically the first document that the user opens to set up the analyzer.

The Work:

This project was my first experience creating hardware documentation. The product team wanted the QSG for the TTR500 translated into five languages. I reviewed the QSGs and related documentation for other Tektronix products to understand what had been created historically. The QSG for other products was typically a 20-25-page manual printed and packaged in a book format in five languages. But the TTR500 featured a bold, new design. Its footprint was significantly smaller than other Tektronix products. Creating the QSG in its conventional format would make the package size larger and heavier, as the physical document was larger than the product.

I played with the hardware to better understand the necessary connections and the mistakes that users were likely to make. Once I knew what I wanted to document, I looked at the delivery format. Instead of the conventional book format, I chose a trifold format to save space and make the QSG smaller than the hardware product.

A trifold meant that there was less real estate for text. I’d also have to use a smaller font size. Sometimes, a picture can speak a thousand words. I just needed to communicate a few hundred. I chalked out the installation procedure and had our illustrator prepare graphics accordingly. This enabled me to reduce the total word count for the document so I could fit my text into the trifold format comfortably. Also, I lowered my translation expenses without compromising on a rich user experience for customers in various geographies.

Result:

At the time I created this document, the company conducted a contest for the application of their brand principles. My QSG had a small, compact design that was simple and innovative. The project also saw healthy collaboration with multiple teams within a tight deadline. I won an Inspire award for showcasing these values.

You can see the QSG for the TTR500 device here: PDF format 

To create the other documents, I worked closely with design teams in Oregon and Israel. I traveled to Israel twice to get more face time with the development team and document features as they got developed. Towards the end of the project, the team wanted to have the accompanying software for this device to be available in multiple languages. I coordinated translation and testing for all user-visible content and delivered the complete doc set 6 months ahead of schedule.

Here's the user manual for the TTR500 vector network analyzer: PDF Format