In Instructor Blog #4 they warn us about treating the user reading the instructions as “idiots.” The drawback to this is that when you are writing your manual you would be talking down to user.
This will cause them to be frustrated and could lead them to reading a different manual or even quit learning the subject which you are trying to teach them. By treating them as “beginners” you would be able to write your lab manual to people who want to learn. It will also help you write your manual with less technical jargon. By doing this your user will enjoy learning a new subject and they will be well on their way to an “expert.”
Being in Computer and Information Technology I have written numerous manuals for the average user to use. This really helps you in two different ways. First, writing the manual helps refresh your knowledge about the topic you are writing for. By doing this you will gain a step by step refresher course that will hopefully teach you something new about the subject. The other way it will help you is writing a document that can be explained to a novice. One suggestion was to write a document that your mother would read. That way you would not have a condescending voice and reduce the jargon your mother would have to deal with. I would also suggest adding pictures with captions to help bring a visual approach to your document.
Starting out was writing a document was a pain but after the first one it becomes easier and easier. I would suggest looking up technical documents online to get an example on how one should look. I am sure that this class will help refine my skills in writing a manual. It always helps to learn a new trick or two.
Jeff
Treat people as beginners.
You make a good point when you say that you should treat everyone as beginners when creating instructions for them. If you use a lot of technical terms many people may not have the vocabulary to understand these terms. I guess you could probably omit this if you are writing instructions for someone who you know understands such terms, but while you are writing you might as well make it so everyone can understand it. As you said, pictures always make instructions better because you can actually visualize what the final product needs to look like. I feel that if there is a nice picture to look at every couple of steps it makes things go much smoother.
Beginners
I think that the most important part of writing instructions is analyzing your audience. There are times when you have you have to write using very technical terms. Of course you aren’t going to do this if you know that you will be writing instructions for beginners. Once you know who your target audience is you know how in depth you have to make your information. If you are writing for your superior I don’t think you would want to use basic terms and concepts unless you know they don’t really know as much as you. I think this could make you seem less credible in their eyes.
Lab Manuals
Relating to the lab manuals, I do not know how many times I have either felt really dumb or having wasted my time using lab manuals. Finding the perfect balance is hard. You can’t go wrong with keeping it basic and user – centered. I have multiple labs where I wish that I could rewrite it or try to improving the steps with pictures. Making it simple and easy to follow so your mother can do it is great advice. This often proves to be the hardest audience of them all.
From your instructions you typically want everyone to be able to understand them or have an idea.
Zebulon Rouse
Instruction frustration
I have been frustrated so many times with instructions manuals because many times they are so confusing, and folded up in a certain way that it is nearly impossible to even unfold them and find the version in my desired language. Many times I feel that instructions were written in a way that does make the reader feel as if they are an idiot, and this just fuel my anger when working with instructions. When i read instructions that are confusing I end up getting mad and throwing the instructions away, this also make me dislike the product, this is why it is very important in a marketing sense that companies hire excellent writers to write their instructions. Instructions reflect the product, and if people hat the instructions it could cause them to hate to product.