At first glance my expert instructions would appear to be the easier one and the novice instructions look to be the harder of the two, but they are in fact the way I labeled them. The expert instructions are for the Taurus Model PT1911. I made these out to be the expert instructions because I believe stripping down the pistol is harder. The whole part involving the recoil spring is very difficult because the spring has so much tension it can be very hard to get back into place and reassemble and I have actually hit myself in the head with the spring the first time I took it apart. When taking apart the pistol you also have to have the proper tool to take out the spring, which gives me another reason to make it the expert instructions. I also created these instructions in a way which tells you step by step instructions how to take it apart, but briefly explains how to put it back together. I did this with the more advanced user in mind because if they know how to take it apart I think they can process how to put it back together. Having said this, I don’t want it to sound like a more novice user wouldn’t be able to comprehend how to put it back together after taking it apart, but I thought that since they are less experienced they might need more detailed instructions for both taking it apart and putting it back together. The novice instructions with the Remington 870 shotgun have many more steps, but that is because I included the reassembly section. When taking apart the shotgun you don’t really need any tools, which make it easier to clean out in the field. The actual physical layout of these instructions would be printed on regular 8.5 x 11 inch paper with some type of laminate cover. It would be best if the instructions were covered with some kind of protective barrier because the people who are using them will most likely end up with grease and oil on there hands which can be wiped off of a laminated piece of paper. This will help keep the instructions clean and safe so they can be used in the future if needed.
My usability test is included with the two rough drafts of my instructions. The usability test has instructions on how to complete it and you can just post your answers to the tests as a comment on my blog. It will mainly be a mixture of a survey and document markup.
Guns
Nice choice choosing how to tear down and rebuild guns. I have a few guns myself but never really knew how to go about tearing them completely down and cleaning them. I'm under the assumption that most guns are built pretty much the same. Is this true? I currently own two rifles and am planning on buying a handgun soon. Do you have any words of advice for me regarding the purchase of a handgun. I am excited to see your final project because I am hoping to be able to use your set of instructions for my own use.
Personal Preference
Some guns are built the same, but many differ from each other. Two rifles could be almost identical but made by a different company so therefore the basics are the same but some minor details might be different. In terms of what kind of handgun to buy, I can't tell you what to buy because I don't know what you will be using it for and all that. There are many calibers to choose from. Personally I like 9MM or .45 caliber because they are military rounds and you USED TO be able to get the ammo for cheap. Not any more though because the awesome government we have running this country would rather increase guns and ammo taxes and penalize us "normal" citizens who shoot for recreation, instead of worrying about the CEO's of companies that take there "bail out" money to give them selves million dollar raises. Haha sorry about that tangent I went off on but back to the subject if you have any questions feel free to send me a message or something.