Chapter 22 - Instructions and Procedures

Purpose of Instructional Documents

• Why am I doing this?
• How do I do it?
• What materials and equipment will I need?
• Where do I begin?
• What do I do next?
• What could go wrong?

Formats for Instructional Documents

• Instructional Brochures
• Manuals
• Brief Reference Cards
• Hyperlinked Instructions
• Online Documentation

Faulty Instructions and Legal Liabilities

• Failure to instruct and caution users in the proper use of a product
• Failure to warn against hazards from proper use of a product
• Failure to warn against the proper misuses of a product
• Failure to explain a product's benefits and risks in language that average consumers can understand
• Failure to convey the extent of risk with forceful language
• Failure to display warnings prominently 

Elements of Usable Instructions

• Clear and Limiting Title
• Informed Content
• Visuals
• Appropriate Level of Detail and Technicality
• Guidelines for Providing Appropriate Detail
• Give everything users need
• Give only what users need
• Instead of focusing on the product, focus on the task
• Omit steps that are obvious to the users
• Divide the task into simple steps and sub-steps
• Adjust the information rate
• Reinforce the prose with visuals
• Keep it simple
• Recognize the persuasive dimension of the instructions
• Logically Ordered Steps
• Notes and Hazard Notices
• Readability
• Effective Design
• Guidelines for Designing Instructions
• Use informative headings
• Arrange all steps in a numbered list
• Separate each step visually
• Make warning, caution, and danger notices highly visible
• Make visual and verbal information redundant
• Keep the visual and the step close together
• Consider a multicolumn design
• Keep it simple
• For lengthy instructions, consider a layered approach

An Outline for Instructions

• Introduction
• Required Steps
• Conclusion

Online Documentation

• Error messages and troubleshooting advice
• Reference guides to additional information or instructions
• Tutorial lessons that include interactive exercises with immediate feedback
• Help and review options to accomodate different learning styles
• Link to software manufacturer's web site

Testing the Usability of Your Document

• How Usability Testing Is Done
• Qualitative Testing
• Use focus groups
• Use protocol analysis
• Quantitative Testing
• Usability Testing in the Classroom

Procedures

• Instructions - show an uninitiated user how to perform a task
• Procedure - provide rules and guidance for people who usually know how to perform the task but who are required to follow accepted practice