ISO/IEC/IEEE 26513 specifies standard processes and minimum requirements for testing and evaluating software user information. However, according to the standard, the processes and requirements described can also be applied to user information for products other than software.

The standard is intended to provide guidance for anyone who tests and reviews (software) user documentation. It is therefore aimed not only at usability test evaluators and designers, but also at editors who proofread user information as part of the day-to-day creation and review process.

Appendix A of the standard provides guidance for this purpose, summarizing the standard’s minimum requirements for user information in a concise format spanning just a few pages. This is particularly useful for editors who want to quickly assess whether the available user information meets the standard’s minimum requirements.

ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 specifies a standard process for the development and creation of software user information and sets out detailed requirements for the structure, content, and format of software user information.

The standard is intended for anyone who creates software user information, including “information designers” and “information developers.” This field of activity certainly includes the work of technical writers, but also the work of software developers who embed electronic user information directly into the software product, as well as technical illustrators who create user information, for example, in the form of animations.

Particularly with regard to requirements for structure and formats, the standard is closely aligned with the guidelines set forth in IEC/IEEE 82079-1. Therefore, anyone who follows this well-known standard for creating user information when developing software user documentation is already well on their way to meeting the requirements of ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514. However, the ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 standard goes beyond the requirements of IEC/IEEE 82079-1, particularly with regard to the content of user information and the form of publication.

For example, IEC/IEEE 82079-1 contains very few specific guidelines for the creation and publication of electronic user information. ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514, on the other hand, includes detailed guidelines for various types of electronic user information, such as online help and embedded user information—for example, tooltips directly within the software interface. The standard emphasizes the importance of collaboration between technical writers, who are knowledgeable about the formulation and creation of user information, and software developers, who program the software product and thus also the embedded user information. The standard recommends that technical writers assist software developers in creating embedded user information, such as in the formulation of warning messages displayed within the software.

Even when compared to the minimum requirements of ISO/IEC/IEEE 26513, the requirements of ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 are more detailed. For example, both standards require that referential information be separated from other types of information, such as instructions, and formatted consistently; however, only ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 specifies specific requirements for various types of referential information, such as the description of APIs.

The ISO/IEC/IEEE 26513 standard provides useful guidance for evaluating user information; however, ISO/IEC/IEEE 26514 should also be taken into account when creating software user information.

Nevertheless, the standard’s requirements regarding certain forms of user information are somewhat sparse. This applies, for example, to requirements for AI chatbots. That said, there are initial guidelines for their use, and given the growing importance of this technology, it is reasonable to assume that future editions of the standard will include further guidance on the use of AI tools that software user information creators can follow.