FAQs

Download the recorder and you're ready to make your first instruction. To help you get started, we have this guide be ready. Good luck and have fun!

An instruction in SelfGuide is a step-by-step description of an action in an application.

SelfGuide is being developed as a SaaS application with the aim of supporting the widest possible audience. To make this possible, we use standards that are supported by all browsers (Edge, Chrome, Safari) as much as possible. We use Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge to test existing and new functionalities. In practice, we know that SelfGuide also works well in Safari and FireFox, among others.

Courses and user guides are similar but both have a different purpose.

• Courses are there to transfer knowledge by taking a user through the knowledge from start to finish. The basis of the course lies in the instructions, which can be enriched with exercises, text and video. A simple but appropriate example is using a course during a software migration, gather all instructions and other information about what changes, merge it into the training and share it with the employees involved. The employees are immediately taken into account what will change for them as a result of the migration.
• User guides are used as a reference book, record knowledge in instructions and structure them. Provide employees with context information. An example is to develop the actions associated with a business process. The employee can view the individual instructions from the library or from the structure that the user guide offers.

Instructions can be used for multiple purposes, some examples include: reference work while working with applications, information for an upcoming application migration, proactively sharing knowledge about a new application, answering support questions uniformly and recording knowledge in a team.

No, it is only possible to start a recording via the recorder application. This one is here to download. If you try to start recording in the browser anyway, SelfGuide will indicate that this is not possible and the Recorder is necessary. Everything you create can be viewed in the browser.

Sure! Our content partners provide instructions and user guides that are easy to import into your SelfGuide environment.

SelfGuide is available in four languages: English, Dutch, German and French. The preferred language of your browser determines which language SelfGuide is displayed in.

Yes, each Instruction has a unique URL that can easily be saved or shared as a link. For example, in a handbook, process description, bookmarks in the browser, or in an email with a colleague. This includes user guides, the chapters in a user guide, Courses and the modules in a course, all of this content has a unique URL.

SelfGuide recognizes the following entries while recording an Instruction:

• Mouse click (left, right and double click)
• Tab
• Enter
• Esc
• Delete
• Home and Ctrl+Home

Yes, the editor will receive an email with feedback and who submitted it. This information can also be viewed in the feedback overview in SelfGuide itself.

Yes, but please note, screenshots are only taken on the primary screen. However, you can use the secondary screen as support during recording by, for example, having notes visible.

Yes, you can link your own applications and tags to an Instruction. These are added to the list of available applications and tags. This makes it possible to select them from the list in the future and filter for the added applications and tags.

The default behavior of SelfGuide is that all users can view all instructions. By using content channels, you can deviate from the standard behavior. More information about using the content channel functionality can be found in the knowledge base.

SelfGuide's default behavior may be at odds with what is often heard and used least privileges principle as well as the application of an RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) model. The question whether this is also possible within SelfGuide is regularly asked. SelfGuide can be used to capture and share knowledge. We test choices regarding functionality and operation against this goal. Three reasons why no RBAC functionality has been added:

• SelfGuide differs from most applications in terms of functionality, because only knowledge is recorded and no actions can be performed, such as in a business application. A user can therefore see how an action should be performed. The application in which this happens ultimately determines whether the user can do it. The impact of viewing an Instruction is therefore very low.
• A culture of knowledge sharing requires a degree of openness and transparency. Protecting knowledge is at odds with this. By protecting knowledge, the added value of the product is reduced. In line with this vision, SelfGuide is openly accessible and knowledge is easy to find.
• Setting up an RBAC model properly and completely takes a lot of time and requires continuous management. That is quite a challenge. An incorrect or incomplete configuration would mean that users would not be able to find the information they need. Since a user can't do anything with just an Instruction, the added value of shielding is small and the impact of an error in the RBAC model and maintaining it is significant. By opening up SelfGuide, it remains manageable and accessible.

The add-ons are advanced SelfGuide features and are available after the trial period. If you are curious about the add-on functionality during the trial period, please contact sales for more information or a demo.

When using SelfGuide, the SaaS Conditions applies.

Yes, during the trial period (30 days), SelfGuide is completely free and does not charge. We are convinced that you won't want to live without SelfGuide after 30 days.

From €700, - per month. The price varies by organization. For more information about SelfGuide's costs, see the price page.

We assume that you are convinced of the added value of SelfGuide for your organization, and in that case, the trial will be converted to a paid subscription and you can continue where you left off. If you are not convinced after the trial, the trial will be terminated and all data will be deleted.

If you purchase SelfGuide, you will do so for at least one year. After that, you can cancel monthly.

When you use SelfGuide, we support you in various ways so that we get and keep happy customers. Examples of support include:

• Deployment support, please contact sales for more information about this
• Courses for editors
• A knowledge base with explanations and substantiating information
• Public instructions, guides, and training courses about SelfGuide, see open.selfguide.com/guest
• Information about new versions in the product updates
• Webinars about the latest developments
• Support in case of questions or problems

That is certainly possible! Add-ons can be purchased at any time as an extension to an existing agreement. To do this, please contact sales.

No problem, the add-ons are additional functionalities and can therefore be purchased and terminated separately. SelfGuide including all data remains available, only the additional functionality will no longer be available.

Many answers can be found in the knowledge base, the FAQ and in our public instructions. Is the answer not listed or can't you find the answer? Then use the support form to leave your question and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

SelfGuide runs primarily in Microsoft Azure, where all data is also stored. More information about SelfGuide hosting can be found in the knowledge base.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) outlines the rules under which personal data may be processed. Personal data are any information that can be traced back to an individual, directly or indirectly. Examples include first and last names, address details, as well as email addresses or phone numbers. In SelfGuide, personal data is used, such as an email address for logging in and first and last names to indicate who created an instruction. Additionally, it is possible that an image in an instruction contains personal data. This personal data can be easily rendered unreadable in SelfGuide.

At SelfGuide, we are aware of our role as a processor. To ensure compliance with the GDPR, a Data Protection Agreement (DPA) is part of the SaaS Conditions. More information on this topic can be found in the knowledge base.

No, each organization is granted access to its own SelfGuide environment, which is separate from other environments. In the environment, users can only see instructions, training materials, and user guides from their own organization. More information on this topic can be found in the knowledge base.

No, the trial period is completely free, which is why we don't need any payment details from you. As soon as you convert the trial into a subscription, additional information is required.

SelfGuide is being developed by SelfGuide B.V. A company that, together with three other companies, is part of the INVINITIV group. The other companies in the group, ExplainIT, The Backbone and IT2IT, are all autonomous organizations but work together intensively where possible to strengthen each other.

SelfGuide has been around for over 8 years and is part of INVINITIV. The existence of INVINITIV dates back to 2001 when the first subsidiary was established. Over the years, additional subsidiaries have been added, each with its own organization, vision, mission, and products or services.