English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

My instructions are currently designed to be used in a packet on standard sized paper. It is meant to be handed to a customer who enters a hardware store with questions about installing a shelf. I am considering changing this format over to a brochure but couldn't decide on the layout for it.

The primary difference between my audiences lies in their knowledge of the tools used in this project. My novice audience has little knowledge of these tools and therefore need more hand-holding. In my novice instructions I have included a picture of all of the materials needed with labels, and a section about general precautions for completing the instructions. My expert instructions only include a list of required materials and a picture of the fasteners that they may not be as familiar with. I have also included a summary section at the beginning of my expert instructions so that if a user only has a question about one step, they can easily skip to the information they are looking for. The last difference between my instruction sets is that I used larger graphics and more white space in my novice document. Expert users should know what is going on in each step and not need every detail in the graphics, while novice users will use the graphics as a second set of instructions. I also wrote steps in blocks for expert users, who are much less likely to become overwhelmed by the instructions, and kept the novice instructions short and simple.

I have attached my usability test to this post as a .doc file. As far as I know, most of the students in this class do not have Acrobat Pro, and would not be able to make changes to a .pdf file so a .doc file will allow the testers to write answers directly on the test and send it back to me. This can be done as an attachment to a reply to this post. As stated in the test, please refrain from short answers. Elaboration is greatly appreciated so be as specific as possible.