For my Instructions Project, I plan to create instructions on how to create a master page in Adobe InDesign. I will most likely create a sample master page to construct in the instructions (i.e., a tutorial) for a typical book or catalog layout. I have used master pages in InDesign for projects both in class and in internships. I have found master pages to be very useful when working with a longer document that has a standard layout for most pages. The master page can save the page designer a lot of time by quickly creating all of the text boxes and image placeholders for a page when you apply the master to a page or range of pages that will have the same layout.
The instructions will cover a range of things, depending on whether or not the audience is familiar with InDesign. For an audience that has never used InDesign, the instructions on creating a master page will contain more detailed information on how to create the elements (e.g., an image placeholder) on the page and will more thoroughly describe the function of those elements. For a more experienced audience, the instructions will omit explanations of how to create the more common page elements (e.g., a textbox).
The novice audience and experience audience will most likely differ mainly on their understanding of how a program like InDesign works. For example, an unfamiliar user may overlook the true use of InDesign and attempt to compose their text in a textbook in the program when they could easily place a text file from say, Microsoft Word or another word-processing program onto the page with the text already completed. An experienced user will understand what the instructions mean if they simply say, “Place your text in the textbox on the left,” for example. Thus, the more novice audience will need (and expect) more explanation about how the program works and how to more effectively utilize it. The experienced users will not need or expect such a detailed description of the functions of different tools and elements.
My ideas for possible graphics include screenshots and pictures of the symbols used to label the InDesign tools being used. The top toolbar in the InDesign workspace offers different options based on which tool is selected, so screenshots of these different options might also be helpful. I am considering using a smaller, quick-guide type layout for more experience users, and a larger document layout for more novice users. I think the larger layout will be more helpful to novice users who need to look at each step and then attempt it themselves before moving on. I have yet to decide on actual dimensions for either of these documents, as I want to stay open and see what works best with the graphics.
Just as a side note, I realize that Adobe InDesign is not free software, and that not everyone would have this program. However, all Purdue students have access to Adobe InDesign through the ITAP Software Remote or on most campus computers (I have generally found that it’s on the Macs, but can’t really speak for the PCs).
Instructor Feedback: Kristin
Overall, this seems like a solid proposal. I think your focus on a specific task is a strong point, and you have begun to consider how the design of the two instruction sets might be distinct. There are two areas where I would like to direct your attention. The first is that you could more clearly explicate why these instructions are legitimate and necessary. It seems as though you deal with this only in the last sentence of the first paragraph. Clearly this task is robust enough and complex enough to warrant instructions, but what is the tangible benefit to the potential audiences? It's likely that this will be different for your two audiences, particularly because you define your novice audience as a group that has never used InDesign before, so I am curious what would make them want to use your instructions and move to a typesetting program instead of a word processor.
The second area is that you want to be sure that you are treating your two audience groups as distinct entities. You don't want your two instructions sets to differ only in degree (i.e., the expert set is just a reduced version of the novice set); you want them to differ in kind (i.e., the expert set is qualitatively different from the novice set). Be sure that you are able to differentiate the two sets in this way.