Digital Electric Smoker
Instruction Manual

As Senior Designer for Masterbuilt, I have had many design roles and worn many hats. One of those hats being as a technical writer.

This was a very challenging yet rewarding role as I was able to learn many new skill sets and build on my knowledge as a designer. Not only that, but I also gained a better understanding of organizing and maintaining digital assets.

As a technical writer I had to work hand in hand with the engineering and quality departments. I had to learn the best way to take the engineering CAD drawings and format them with precise technical knowledge of the product that was being assembled. I had to know the contents of each product within a carton, the components, nuts and bolts to put them together, warranty bills and have knowledge of very specific regulatory requirements and quality assurance information.

Also, as a technical writer I had to communicate with the factories to ensure that the product assembly instructions and pack-in components were all properly represented right down to the correct size screw. I learned through much troubleshooting more effective ways to create illustrations from the CAD program E-drawings using PDF’s and then converting them to vectors in Illustrator.

This manual was an industry first for Masterbuilt as it incorporated wireless technology via a remote control. This required not only more engineering training for written regulations and instruction, but also having a better understanding incorporating those instructions into an illustrated format that was easy and accurate for consumers to follow.