English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

Your thumbnails look very organized. I think the way that you plan to break down the novice version into steps and then bullets is a good idea. I also like the idea of putting a summary of all the steps on the expert version so they can quickly reference all of the steps at once. The one thing that I would change would be to make your main header on the expert version the same color as the sub-headers for better symmetry of the entire instructions. Other than that I think you have a laid out good groundwork for this type of process and you just need to focus on proper language for each version.

These documents seem like they're on the right track. It looks as though you are actually ascribing different tasks to your two groups that they might want to complete, which is good. (We can see how this leads to changes in your instructions, including changes of graphics and layout.)

One thing I would point out is that these documents appear to be at 8.5 x 11 dimensions. As the project page states, we expect you to use the appropriate dimensions for the task (this is a design issue). If it's appropriate for these works to be in 8.5 x 11 format, that's fine, but you don't want a program's default settings to make your design decisions for you. Consider your audience and the context in which these documents will be used. Would fold-out steps make sense, or a big poster-style document? These are questions you might consider.

Your novice thumbnail is a simple and effective way to present the instructions. You followed the guidelines mentioned in the instructor blog #5. The design does a good job of guiding the eye, and is in a very sensible order. “Required materials” was a good subheading to start off with as a novice shelf hanger, like myself, needs a good place to start. Your contrast seems effective with the royal blue on the white background. The proximity of the pictures in relation to the steps they are describing is also appropriate and I don’t think it would lead to any confusion. The design of the thumbnail has good alignment and you make it look organized by using lines to sum up the sections.

I would have to agree. Adding and area which states what the required equipment needed to complete this project is a nice touch. For someone who doesn't have any experience installing shelves, this could prove to be a valuable asset to make sure they have all the materials needed to properly complete their work. I also like the layout that you have for the novice installer. the graphics are in one line so it is easy to follow the graphics in the proper order. Also putting the instructions side by side with the graphics is a nice touch because it is easy for the two to easily reinforce each other.