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Dozuki: A New Way to Write How-To Manuals

Dozuki website banner

I have a big announcement to make. For the first time ever, iFixit is branching out from our core business of selling parts and tools. We’re going to start selling software—the same software that we use to run iFixit. This is something that astute observers may have expected from the development, and success, of Make: Projects.

User manuals are stuck in the 20th century. Even the best manuals are still distributed as static PDFs. Service technicians are often stuck with documentation that is months, if not years, out of date. Users hate IKEA-style manuals with vague instructions, confusing graphics, and no photos.

We started iFixit with the idea that there was a better way—that useful documentation could help people do amazing things.

Our intuitive, step-by-step repair manuals changed the world. Millions of people have fixed their own electronics using iFixit’s manuals—making it the most popular service documentation platform ever created.

Today, we are announcing Dozuki: the software behind iFixit’s manuals. We’re taking the site that you all know and love, and turning the technology behind it into a work instruction and training platform built for manufacturing. Check it out at dozuki.com, and let me know what you think.

Dozuki guidebook feature
Dozuki makes step-by-step instructions come alive.

Dozuki is a modern work instruction and training platform purpose-built for manufacturing. Our intuitive tools makes it easy for anyone to create training curriculum or publish work instructions. Every document is available online, as downloadable PDFs, through dedicated mobile apps, or through custom API applications. It’s simple for technicians to suggest changes, so work instructions consistently get better over time.

Dozuki answers logo
Answers transforms questions into archived wisdom.

Along with work instruction and training, Dozuki offers Answers, enterprise-grade Q&A for experts. Answers is a structured tool for focusing expert conversations into a useful (and searchable) knowledge base. Answers gives companies the ability to make their products a hub for knowledge exchange.

Building expert communities

iFixit won top online community this year at South by Southwest (SXSW). This announcement makes their expertise at building communities available to manufacturers of all sizes. Dozuki isn’t just a content management system—it’s a community platform that empowers companies to give their expert employees a voice. Companies that allow their customers to extend their documentation will see consumers flock to sustainable, durable products. By joining the community, manufacturers have the opportunity to set a positive tone, provide leadership, and increase long-term demand.

Workgroup collaboration

Dozuki  targets enterprises needing collaborative workgroup tools. Imagine improving the productivity of distributed teams by giving people access to domain expertise already available within the company. Dozuki can transform existing procedures and support documents into a framework for social interaction.

Proven solution

Dozuki’s powerful framework has powered iFixit onto Inc’s list of the 5000 fastest growing companies for the past three years. iFixit is now one of the largest Apple parts companies in the world, hosting complete service manuals for every major Apple product. iFixit’s popular gadget teardowns receive millions of views and drive consistent e-commerce growth.

We partnered with O’Reilly to bring Make Magazine’s exciting do-it-yourself projects into the digital realm. Their successful Guidebook community, Make: Projects, allows users to post their own DIY projects alongside Make’s professional articles.

If you’re interested in seeing what we’ve created, head over to dozuki.com and schedule a demo.

What does this all mean?

We’re very excited about what this means for iFixit. We’re constantly looking for ways to continue investing in the site and hire more engineers without running advertisements on iFixit. We’re as committed as ever to building a free online repair manual for everything, and if Dozuki is successful, we’ll have additional resources to throw at making the world’s best repair manual. As always, we’re committed to making iFixit the best that it can be, and I welcome your feedback and feature suggestions.

Edit note, 9/11/2020: This post was updated to amend Dozuki’s current offerings, link to Dozuki features, and remove links to a beta program no longer active.