Sie suchen auf: {{ keyword }}
Overview
Next Level Coffee (NLC), a German premium coffee innovator, approached INSTRKTIV with a clear mission: create a beautiful, user-friendly, and legally compliant documentation ecosystem for their new NUNC coffee machine — with a strong preference for digital-first delivery.
The project required the development of three interconnected deliverables:
- A CE-compliant printed manual
- A full HTML online manual (accessed via QR code)
- A Quick Start Guide (created by NLC based on INSTRKTIV’s content)
INSTRKTIV handled legal research, content development, tone of voice, illustrations, and a CMS-based workflow using MadCap Flare.
Challenge: High aesthetic standards, strict CE requirements, and a digital-first vision
NLC entered the project with very ambitious expectations. Their brand identity is premium, minimalistic, and design-driven — “a vibe the documentation needed to match.”
Meanwhile, the product falls under strict standards for household appliances.
Working with a moving target
During the project:
- The product was still under technical development
- Terminology changed frequently
- 3D models, accessories, and GUI elements evolved
- Timelines shifted
- Information was distributed across Miro boards, Google Drive and email
Despite this, INSTRKTIV adapted quickly and efficiently.
“Although the product was still in development, we could already make a start… when the product was final, the manual was already 80% ready.”
— Ferry Vermeulen, Founder at INSTRKTIV
“There were uncertainties about how the end product would look… but we played along with their process, and that’s normal with developing products.”
— Rudolfs Zitmanis, Lead technical writer at INSTRKTIV
Legal foundation: Determining What Must Be Printed vs. What May Go Online
A core question for NLC was: What must legally be printed, and what is allowed to be digital?
INSTRKTIV performed an in-depth analysis of:
- IEC 60335-1 on household appliances
- IEC 60335-2-15 on electrical appliances for heating liquids
- Low Voltage Directive
- EMC Directive
- Radio Equipment Directive
- Battery Regulation
- WEEE Directive
This established that:
- All safety information and certain installation/maintenance steps must be printed
- Other content may legally be published online
“The standard states that instructions shall be provided in hard copy so the appliance can be used safely — meaning all safety information must be printed.”
— Ferry Vermeulen, Founder at INSTRKTIV
Building a compliant safety foundation
INSTRKTIV created:
- A printed CE-compliant Safety Instructions Manual
- Safety warnings based on harmonised standards
- Risk-reducing measures taken from the customer’s risk assessment
- Additional safety content to reduce liability risks
The cover page of the printed safety instructions
CMS Excellence: Combining MadCap Flare with Tailwind CSS for a Modern UI
NLC wanted the online manual to match their premium brand aesthetic — far beyond what MadCap Flare supports natively.
A hybrid solution
Karen, INSTRKTIV's content management expert, explains: “MadCap cannot do such a fancy design, so we built the design outside Flare using Tailwind CSS. We combined the best of both worlds.”
The custom-built HTML manual using MadCap Flare
Key achievements
- Single-source architecture for text and images
- Reusable variables and snippets
- Mobile-first HTML output
- QR code access for users
- Full alignment with brand fonts and styling
- Custom-coded hovers, shadows, animations — normally impossible in Flare
- Collaborative design reviews via Miro
“It’s the first time we could do hovers, rings, lighting up, shadows… all the modern UI elements they wanted.”
— Karen Miller, Content Management Expert at INSTRKTIV
A future-proof documentation process
The value of the CMS is being able to update content from a single source and build outputs afterwards.
Writing and Illustrations: Blending User-Friendliness with Premium Feel
The writing and illustrations needed to evoke NLC’s brand personality while maintaining legal clarity and safety.
Tone of voice
Rudolfs used Simplified Technical English and INSTRKTIV's style guide but adapted it to the NLC brand:
- “Staying Safe” instead of “Safety Instructions”
- “Setting up for the perfect brew” instead of “Installation”
- “Making Magic — your first coffee ritual” instead of “Operation”
“It was a challenge to make it sound stylish, like the company wrote it… but it worked.”
— Rudolfs Zitmanis, Lead technical writer at INSTRKTIV
High-quality illustrations
INSTRKTIV created clean line illustrations covering:
- Installation steps
- Operation sequences
- Cleaning routines
- GUI and menu elements
Finding the right balance was key:
“We needed a very visual manual, but not to overload the client with illustration costs. We found a good balance.”
— Ferry Vermeulen, Founder at INSTRKTIV
Example of the illustrations that were created
Deliverables: A Complete, Modern, Legally Sound Documentation Ecosystem
The collaboration resulted in:
1. A CE-compliant printed manual
Containing all mandatory safety and installation content.
The HTML manual is accessible through the QR code in the safety instructions
2. A full online HTML manual
Designed with Tailwind CSS, built on MadCap Flare, fully mobile-friendly, and aligned with NLC’s brand.
3. A Quick Start Guide
Created by NLC using INSTRKTIV’s content and direction.
This gave NLC:
- A premium user experience
- Fully compliant documentation
- A digital-first strategy for future updates
- Shorter time-to-market due to early documentation work
Some pages of the quick start guide
What Makes This Project Unique
The NUNC documentation is exceptional because it blends:
- Premium product design
- Strict CE compliance
- A modern digital user experience
- High-end illustrations
- Effective CMS engineering
- A tone-of-voice that feels authentic and warm
- Adaptability in a dynamic development environment
“Next Level Coffee had very high standards… We really went the extra mile to make something outstanding.”
— Ferry Vermeulen, Founder at INSTRKTIV
Conclusion
The partnership between Next Level Coffee and INSTRKTIV produced a state-of-the-art documentation system that matches the sophistication of the NUNC coffee machine.
It demonstrates INSTRKTIV’s ability to combine:
- CE compliance
- Digital UX
- Visual design
- Structured content management
- Adaptability in complex development cycles
The result is a future-proof manual ecosystem that is beautiful, compliant, and genuinely enjoyable to use.
Are you keen to find out how we can help you? Ask us for a quote.
