Available for tablets and desktops, SwipeGuide Instruction Builder allows you to create, edit using drag and drop and publish job aids in seconds.
Our “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” design on the Platform Editor gives you a preview on Guides almost the same way as the end-user would see it in the Platform Viewer.
Understand the types of content in SwipeGuide
Content creation in SwipeGuide is designed to be flexible, allowing you to create, distribute, and optimize step-by-step instructions for various processes and tasks used for training employees, onboarding, and improving operational efficiency in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, maintenance, and assembly.
The highest level of content in SwipeGuide is called a Guide.
A Guide generally represents a use-case in your organization, and it comprises of all the work performance support content related to the chosen use-case.
Within a Guide, you can create different types of performance support content: Instructions, Checklists and Sign-offs.
Instructions:
Instructions are detailed, step-by-step guides that explain how to perform a specific job or task.
They provide information, context, and guidance to individuals, outlining the necessary steps and procedures.
Instructions are often used for training, onboarding, and as a reference for employees.
Checklists:
Checklists are used to ensure that specific parameters or requirements are met during the execution of a task.
They can help prevent errors and omissions by providing a list of items that need to be completed or verified.
Checklists are valuable for quality control, safety procedures, and compliance with regulations.
Sign-off:
Sign-off sheets or records are used to track and document various aspects of task execution.
They capture data such as who performed the task, when it was done, and whether it was completed to the required standards.
Sign-off records can also be used to verify that employees have the necessary skills and qualifications to perform specific tasks.
Create & Structure content
It might be helpful to imagine the Guide as a folder with all the relevant documentation for an Equipment or a Process. The Guide contains every topic, instruction & sign-off, checklist, and steps detailing how to effectively complete a set of different tasks in a factory or with a certain machine.
A. Create the high level Guide
Choose your Guide title
Note. Keep the end-user in mind and the context in which they will use this Guide by focusing on:
Guide Findability: End-users should easily find this guide when checking all guides on your Platform Workspaces.
Choose a representative title for the topic of the guide (e.g. the machinery or the procedure name)
Use recognisable terms that are well known to your end-users
Guide Usability: End-users should easily understand from the title of your guide what they can use it for.
Make a clear connection between the title and the procedures described inside
Think of the key words used by your end-users when they refer to the procedures you are going to create instructions for
2. Choose the language in which you're going to write your Guide
a. What is the default language?
The default Language of a guide is the language in which you choose to write your Guide content.
Note. If a language is not available in the list, contact your Customer Success Manager.
A Guide can be written in 1 language at a time, and it can be translated to multiple languages afterwards. Check the article below to see how to use the translations features.
b. How can I switch my Guide to a different language so I can view the content in one of the translated languages?
1. Click the Guide Language button on your Guide cover
2. Tick any of the option available & click "SAVE"
Note: Only 100% translated language can be selected.
You're now viewing the Guide in a translated language.
3. Choose the Guide creation Team
When you're creating a new Guide, you have to select the Team in order to determine who will be the colleagues working with you on the guide and to what Workspaces will this Guide be published to later on.
4. Add tags to your Guide
The main reason to use Tags is to make it easy for your end-users to find Guides and Instructions on your Workspace.
When a user searches for a tag, the Guide that has that tag will appear first in the search results.
a. Click on the Tags list then scroll & click on the existing tags or start typing to search for a specific name tag
b. Click on the Tags field and start typing the name of your new tag
Note: All users in the Platform CMS (Editor) can add existing tags on the Guides and on Instructions. Yet, depending on the settings made on your Platform by your Platform Admin, specific Roles can can create new tags. If you're unable to create new tags, contact your Platform Admin.
Click "SAVE DRAFT" to complete your Guide creation.
Learn about Guide versioning here
B. Create your Guide content.
Create Instructions & Checklists titles (e.g. Starting off the Machine A or Checking Cleaning standards)
Think of instructions as tasks part of an entire process. When you choose a process, you want to create instructions for, just breakdown the entire process into smaller tasks and map them all out in the logical order needed in order to meet the goal of the procedure. Each task will then take form of an instruction title.
Each instruction title needs to be clear, to the point and action oriented:
Use a verb + subject construction
Add only the relevant information
Use continuous tense
2. Create all the steps per Instruction needed to execute each task well
3. Map out the additional information needed at each step under Step Notes
Use the Automatic Warning Displays to automatically open this Warning when a user opens the respective step. It will remain open until the user closes it and will reopen every time the user enters the step.
Use Automatic Warning Displays if you want to:
Make sure users check your Warnings first when they open your Instruction Steps
Allow users to check action-oriented Steps only after they read and close the displayed Warnings
Keep important Warnings displayed every time a user opens a high-risk Step in your Instructions
Tick the corresponding box to activate this setting for the respective Step
4. Create Sign-offs & applying them on your Instructions
Learn everything about Sign-offs here
5. Create Checklists needed to evaluate a certain product, task or situation
Learn everything about Checklists here
6. Create Topics & bundle Instructions & Checklists that are related to each other under their Topic. (e.g. Getting started)
Tip. Use drag and drop to grab instructions, topics and steps by the handle and move them anywhere else within the same guide.
On a Step:
On an Instruction:
Note: The changes will only be applied once the Updates are Published.
Tip: Set up Topics to collapse to make it easy for end-users to navigate through your Guide
How does it look for the end-users?
Learn how to create your Guide from start-to-end in SwipeGuide
by accessing our SwipeGuide for SwipeGuide for Guide Creation