As stated in chapter 12 the context in which your document will be used may play a big roll in what kind of document you actually create. I took this into consideration because I am doing instructions on how to take apart two different guns. I figured that if someone were to be disassembling a firearm they would most likely have grease and oil on there hands. That’s why I decided to make a document that can be printed and laminated to protect it from the dirty hands and surfaces that may come into contact with it.
Chapter 12 also made me think of my document in terms of the editing that needs to be done. After reading the guidelines of the edition that should be done I might need to go back and revise some of my sentences in my instructions because they may not have proper structure and grammar. But then again, I thought about who will most likely be reading my documents and decided what I did should be suitable. In my eyes when trying to look at directions on how to take apart a firearm you want it to be short and to the point. I’m not saying I am not going to use complete sentences, but I am saying that there is not really a reason to write a paragraph for each step when a sentence will do. One thing I don’t think will come into play when creating these documents is any cross-cultural errors. These instructions use mainly different part names which are shown on a diagram so people can’t misinterpret what is being said.
I believe that my documents will most likely be under the informal usability testing category because document markup will probably be what the other students use when they look over my documents. I also plan to use the four usability questions that are located in the instructor’s blog. These four questions to ask myself when looking over my documents or someone else’s are:
-Can they find the information they need?
-Can they understand the information given after they read it?
-Can they actually accomplish the task given?
-Is it safe?
Usability Testing
Seems like the biggest question for your instruction project's usability is 'Is it safe?' You might try something like having a separate 'Gun Safety' Section in which you give tips on how to remain safe during the process of taking the guns apart.
It was interesting that you thought about laminating your document because of people having oil or grease from the gun on their hands as they are taking it apart. You kind of went a step further than discussed in the reading for usability and thought about it in a more physical way. I agree that laminating it would be a good idea.
As far as your discussion on proper grammar, etc in your instructions, I think you're right to question how 'prosey' the verbiage is. However, as we have seen in our readings, grammar is still very important even in short and to the point documents containing steps. You will want to probably pay attention to the tense of the words, and avoid switching back and forth.
Safe...!
The very first parts of my instructions tell how to make sure the gun is safe before trying to disassemble it. The main thing to worry about when performing things like field stripping a gun is to make sure it is unloaded and always pointed in a safe direction. I have a caution note to start off the whole document that reminds the reader to unload the gun before going any further. I understand what you mean about making sure to still use proper grammar. Just because it needs to be short and to the point doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still keep grammar and spelling as a top priority
Usability
Make sure you turn your discussion to specifics about how the readings can help us with our current project. The prompt asked students to select a usability test, make a case for why it is the most appropriate one for his/her instruction, and to describe in some detail the specifics of the usability test that will be produce. Jeremy and I focused the prompt in this direction so that students could use the reading response to begin drafting their usability tests.
Tailoring to Your Document
With regard to Nathaniel's comment on specifics on usability, how do you plan to incorporate the 4 questions from the instructor blog to your unique set of instructions? Those questions alone seem very generic. I think it would be more helpful to the user if you customized them to your purposes. For instance, maybe ask "Were the instructions effective in guiding you through the disassembly of the firearm?" or "Did you have any concerns with safety of the firearm or tools that weren't covered by these instructions?"
I'd also agree that a document mark-up would be an effective method for usability testing, but I don't think that the user will be able to mark the document as they complete the process. If their hands are covered in grease and the instructions are laminated, it would probably be a better idea for the tester to take notes on scrap paper during the process and then mark up the actual document after completing the task.
There should not be instructions for some things
There should not be instructions for some things. Guns are dangerous. If handled incorrectly (and sometimes even correctly), they can end up killing people. Some things should be be written as instructions on a peice of paper. There are courses with trained professionals who can teach you how to use guns. They will make sure that while you are still learning how to use a gun, you don't accidentally shoot yourself. If someone is determined on conducting such a usability test, they should make sure that the test is done in a very controlled setting.