After reading through all the resources about there was one thing that I noticed, I never knew that there was so much that went into creating a set of instructions for a product someone is trying to sell. I have always had an idea of what needs to be included in a set of instructions but never knew that writing a set of instructions was so involved. Chapter 19 goes into a great deal of depth in explaining how to write one's instructions. The bulk of this information deals with how to organize information while writing instructions. The main point that the writer tries to get across is that no matter what the type of instruction you are trying to create there is pretty much only one way to properly and effectively display that information.
The one recommendation that I stumbled upon while reading through Chapter 20 that I found interesting was the information regarding the use of pictures in instructions. The writing talked about how people need to be aware of the types of pictures used in instructions while trying to distribute products in foreign countries. One example that was used dealt with a picture seeming a little romantic while in the workplace. These types of pictures can be very disrespectful to people in middle eastern countries.
One other topic that I read in Chapter 20 dealt with coming up with the information to be used while writing the instructions. The most obvious idea that I didn't know about was just sitting there and observing people using a product and taking notes about how different people interact with the product and then organizing that information into an easy style that people can easily understand and read.
Recommendations for creating instructions
I'm actually pretty happy that the readings gave us so much to think about, even if it's a little hard to process it all. I didn't know what went into creating instructions, but I knew it had to be a lot. I also knew I had to write a set of instructions and I felt - and still feel - pretty clueless about where to even start.
I think it helps to try and organize all that information into groups, a lot like we did with "content" vs. "layout" with the resumes. The design should include certain elements and certain organizations. The content should follow needs of the audience and needs of the process or product, etc. Come to think of it, breaking the information out into groups could be a good exercise in partitioning a topic, as discussed around page 12 of Chapter 19 of TCT.
Power of Pictures
I also found it quite interesting how much importance was placed on the usage of pictures and graphics in creating accurate and easy to use instructions. I think that this goes along with the idea of making the experience less intimidating and boring for the individual. Pictures and graphics are a simple and very straight-forward method of describing a procedure that shouldn't be overlooked. I think this is one of the most important things that I took from Monday's readings and I will definitely keep it in my mind when I move into actually constructing my own set of instructions for the coming project.
Pictures
When I look at some manual or set of instructions, the first thing I look for are pictures. More specifically, I try to find diagrams and examples instead of having to dig through tens of thousands of words of text. You know what they say -- a picture is worth a thousand words. There is actually a lot of truth in that. When encoding text and images on a computer, images take thousands to millions of times more space than words becaue there is much more data in them. Yet they are so compact. It's something to think about.
Helpful
I wish my teachers would have given us these documents as guidelines when we had to write our instructions. When I was writing them it was an exercise in trial and error. It went in a process like this. Write the document, turn it in, get a lower grade than expected for unseen errors, fix the writing for the next report, turn it in, and get a better grade with new errors in the report. The good news is that it gets easier and easier to write a report with practice. They also look better as well so that means a better grade and perhaps a happier user.
Graphics
I'm a die hard technology advocate, and as such, when I open a new product, I tinker with it forever without reading the instructions until I can make it work. When I still can't figure it out, I finally break down and resort to the instructions. Many times these instructions are overly detailed, and I get lost or stuck when something isn't clear. I think this happens because instruction writers often make assumptions, and when the reader doesn't make the same assumption, things can get mixed up.
The best instructions therefore seem to be the ones that first continue a "quick start" guide, for more advanced users that already should know enough to get started, but might need some extra information, and then a fully detailed step-by-step guide for regular users. The commonality between these two documents needs to be the use of graphics. Maybe its because I'm a visual learner, but when instructions give text and then a graphic or picture of what the instructions are talking about, Its always easier to understand.
instructions
Sometimes I just need instructions on how to read the instruction booklet. This is true about various sorts of “how to” put together this or that products, or in trying to sort out how to play a complex game with friends. I agree that the best sort of directions follow the “Keep it simple” method using graphics and pictures to support actions. After reading the assignments, I didn’t realize just how complicated developing instructions or directions could be and I believe I have a much better understanding of the difficulty. For me personally, if the type is too small, too many words to read in the line, or poor choice of words will really shut me down and make it too hard to follow.
Instructor Feedback
Could you have pointed to an example of when pictures have helped you understand a task better, or even when you have used pictures to help someone else understand a technology or accomplish some task? The readings will be much more valuable (and your responses scored higher) if you connect them with an actual, concrete example of your own.