+What your instructions will cover?
-My instructions will cover downloading, installing, adding music to iTunes, and adding music to an iPod.
+Explain why your instructions are legitimate and necessary.
-More and more people who are not very computer literate are using mp3 players as their source of music on-the-go and with iTunes/iPod being the prominent choice.
+Why you are qualified and credible to write about this topic?
-I have used iTunes extensively since getting my laptop.
+Identify your two separate audiences and how they differ.
-My first audience is made up of people who are not very computer literate and new to iTunes. The instructions will focus more on the downloading, installing and transferring of music.
-My second audience is made up of people who have installed programs before and will be more focused on iTunes’ features such as creating smart playlists and editing the information about a track.
+What are the needs, expectations, values, and concerns of each?
-The expectation of the first group would be a thorough walk through of the downloading and installation process, while the second group can be told to go to apple.com and download iTunes.
-One concern that could be held by both groups would whether or not iTunes will run on their computer. I will take make sure that I discuss iTunes system requirements before discussing anything else.
+Include ideas for possible graphics that can be used and layouts you will employ for your instructions.
-For graphics I will use screen shots of the installation process as well as screen shots of the program itself. I will edit them to highlight or point out specific menus
I’m not sure how I should go about describing adding music. I’m guessing I shouldn’t assume that the reader has music on their computer. I’m thinking about adding a directions on how to use iTunes to rip music off of a CD.
Instructor Feedback: jonesae
I think you are moving the in right direction here, Andy. I think, however, that you will need to provide more than just the basics to insure that your project is robust enough (and personally challenging enough). For instance, I think there are several additional features you might introduce to more experiences users, such as Genius, that will allow them to maximize the potential of iTunes and the iPod. I know that I for one am not fully utilizing my own iPod.
You may already be thinking about the level of detail you want to provide in each set, but I wanted to make sure you were planning on going further than this proposal suggests. You might, for instance, consider discussing iPods for beginning users: what is the best one to buy given a particular set of parameters? That is, you could make recommendations based on cost, music library size, usage, etc. In other words, think of these instructions in terms of what isn't already available for iTunes and iPod users. What kind of fresh perspective (this can include the design of your instructions or the arrangement of information) will you be able to offer your audiences? Really think about how you can help your audiences get the most out of their iPods, iTunes, and the wide world of music.
It might be helpful to think of your project as two sets of user guides rather than instructions. It is important that you produce two clearly distinct instruction sets. The difference between the two should not be one of degree (that is, the expert set is simply a smaller version of the novice set), but one of kind (the expert set is qualitatively different from the novice set).
Note: proposals typically follow paragraph rather than outline format. Outlines run the risk of being too sparse.