The readings for this week gave me a lot of great ideas to use for my instructions project. One of the things that stuck with me most was properly using white space. I guess this is one of those things that I had always taken for granted. I know that in my own personal experience, if I didn't like the design of a document, chances are I would skip it unless I really had to read it. Whether it was instructions for assembling something, or reading people's resumes, if it wasn't visually appealing it didn't get read. However I never attributed it to something as small as improper usage of white space. For my instructions project I plan to use this to my advantage. I will try to space my lines out so that it appeals to the reader and they won't get overwhelmed by just looking at it before even starting to read. I will also enlarge spacing in between steps to make the instructions flow better and give the reader a chance to take a break if they so choose.
Another tip from the reading that I plan to incorporate into my instructions is the use of repetition. I want to lay out my steps and their corresponding images in a way that the reader knows exactly where to look when they arrive at the next step. Whether they choose to look at the image before reading the step or vice-versa, they will no exactly where the information that they want will be located. Going along with this, I plan to use contrast at points when extra caution should be taken, by offsetting certain information from the general design.
The readings also offered plenty of tips that, while useful, won't necessarily be needed for this project. Things such as color, graph, and chart usage as well as tips for certain projects like fliers and posters were very informative. While these may not exactly help me with the current project, they just might give me the upper hand when creating these types of documents later for another class or at some point in my career. The one piece of information offered that seems to be common through all of the different types of writing is that design can be just as important as the physical information being presented. Without a good design, good information can become almost useless.
Repetition
I agree with you that if I don't like the design of a document or website, I pretty much just set it aside. More often than not, I would rather struggle through putting something together than even try to read confusing instructions.
Repitition is the most effective use of design in my opinion. A simple, repetitive design will present the information in an easy to read design. In my personal experiences with instructions, the ones that use repetition are the easiest to follow.
White space and repetition.
I think I am in the same boat as you if look at something that isn’t very appealing to me I probably won’t read it unless I have to. I also think that using white space effectively can increase the overall appeal of your writing. Instructions need to be laid out with the proper amount of white in between so you can tell right away that it is a different step than the previous one. Repetition seems to be one of the key things when creating instructions. Like you said, after a few steps you want people to know where to look to find what they need.
White Space vs. Content
I agree that white space is important in this project, as to keep the reader interested in the material without getting overwhelmed. However, I feel that there will be so many steps in my instructions for the 'novice user' that the length of the document (page-wise) may become a problem if I use the same amount of white space between steps as I plan to use in my instructions (or quick reference) for the 'experienced user'. Do you think that new users would have enough interest in a topic that they'd put up with more text in an instruction step than an experienced user, and less white space between steps? I almost think that they'd expect there to be less white space and more content, because they require more information.
More White Space?
Just like almost everything else in this class, I think the amount of white space depends on your audience. While you have made the distinction that your audience will be novices or experts, you might want to consider what their thoughts towards the instructions will be. If you think that they might be apprehensive towards the instructions you might want to be careful about how little white space you have. If an apprehensive reader sees that there is very little white space, they might be instantly overwhelmed from the beginning. If you believe that the reader will be genuinely interested in the topic, go ahead and write away. They will most likely assume that since there is a lack of white space that the instructions are full of details. In the end, this decision needs to be made by how you think your audience will perceive the instructions.
images vs. text
After reading this I found it very informative to set up my instructions in a way that each step has a picture with it that directly goes with the specific step, if a picture is necessary. This helps to give the instruction twice in two different ways, one way with words and one way with a picture. Some people learn a lot better from images and others from words so it would be nice if all instructions had both the option of words and pictures. I also had not though about the idea of white space, I found this very interesting because I would have though that leaving blank space would have been appealing, because it would look like a lesser amount of instructions, but I learned know the importance of spacing out the text in a way that leaves a little white space but not much.
Using Repetition and White Space
I realize repetition is good. For me when things are repeated too much it becomes very annoying. Just when you use repletion you need to make sure that it is use in moderation.
Also with your project, installing a shelf, having the white space as a separator is nice. Most people who are following the steps might be occupied with having tools or materials in their hands. Having the layout of white space acting like bullets will help the user to locate the steps more easily without putting down the supplies.
Zebulon Rouse