2. What is the purpose of instructions?
Primarily
To enable users to complete tasks
Secondarily
To tell users the following:
How to do something
Why to do it
What materials and equipment are necessary
Where to begin
What to do next
How to recover from something gone wrong
5. Total patients who Patients who
completed survey misunderstood
questionnaire dosing instructions
Prescriptions 71 55 (77%)
specifying dosing
instructions in
hourly intervals
Prescriptions with 429 4 (.99%)
dosing instructions
specifying daily
frequency
Taken from Burnett, Rebecca. Technical Communication 6th ed.
9. Bicycle Tune-Ups
How to Give Your Bicycle a Tune-Up
How to Change the Oil in Your Car
How to Change the Oil in a 2000 Mazda
Protégé ES
10. Content Elements of Instructions
Be an informed author
If you haven’t done it, how can you tell anybody
else how to do it?
The paradox: you’re an expert, but the user isn’t.
How can you communicate so they’ll understand
you?
12. Content Elements of Instructions
Use an appropriate level of detail and
technicality
13. Tips to Provide an “Appropriate” Level of
Detail and Technicality
Provide background information so the reader
understands the need for instructions
Provide “enough” detail
Include enough steps and detail so the instructions can
stand alone
Provide only what users need
Instead of focusing on the product, focus on the task
Omit steps that are obvious
Divide the task into simple steps and substeps
Allow users to focus on one task at a time
16. The student clamps the specimen onto the flat plate.
You should clamp the specimen onto the flat plate.
It is important to clamp the specimen onto the flat plate.
The specimen is clamped onto the flat plate.
Clamp the specimen onto the flat plate.
17. It is important to not type anything after the target drive name.
Do not type anything after the target drive name.
18. The lantern should be primed by pumping the lever for 15-20
seconds.
Prime the lantern pumping level for 15-20 seconds.
20. Always Observe Safety Rules
Not Parallel Parallel
1. Wearing of safety glasses. Wear safety glasses.
2. Proper tool for the job. Use proper tool for the job.
3. Use only tools that are Use functioning tools only.
functioning.
4. Maintain a clean, organized Maintain a clean, organized
work area. work area.
5. Questions relating to Present questions relating to
procedures or the proper procedures or the proper
handling of tools should be handling of tools to group
presented to your group leader.
leader.
21. Formal Elements of Instructions
Use a title, headings, and subheadings to
organize information