Hello Everyone,
Chapter 14 is about creating manuals and instructions. It's the one thing you dread when you buy a piece of furniture from Walmart: do I have to assemble it? You're caught in the moment and buy a futon, but do not see the lurking truth in the shadows. It contains a 13 page manual and the futon takes 3 hours to construct on a good day. Too bad it's already 9:00 pm...
We've all been there. That's what this chapter is about; how to create documentation that allows someone to perform a task safely and efficiently. It talks about how to design a document so it is easy to follow and easy to verify the user's success.
Many things come into play when designing one of these types of documents. You still need to consider the audience and see if they are from different cultures. You may be marketing to two audience that are continents apart and have to change the manual based on their culture.
It must be easy to follow and easy to read. Put graphics in with every step and use a direct tone of voice to convey instructions and to combat uncertainty. A lot of this chapter seems like common sense, but remembering all of this information when designing the document would seem next to impossible. The next time I receive a manual of decent quality for furniture, I'll be more appreciative of the work it takes to produce such a document and be glad I didn't lose may arm because I read the safety instruction at the start.
Best Regards,
Mike
I hear you on that frustration of poorly constructed manuals. Sometimes I feel as if the company does not think of who the end users are. Most of this chapter did feel like common sense, but sometimes pointing common sense issues out helps to make an impression in your mind. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI defiantly agree with the frustration of manuals. I also agree that the company does not think of the reader or the person on the other end of the instruction. I liked how you explained the chapter, love it.
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