Professional and Technical Writing/Instructions
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[edit] Writing Technical Instructions
Writing usable instructions can be difficult due to the fact that people read and comprehend things differently. There are people who are visual learners and using written instructions may pose many problems. Keeping that in mind, as well as, the fact that the readers will have all educational backgrounds and various learning styles, will enable you to write comprehensive instructions for everyone. It is important to convey the facts, but in such a manner that all types of readers will understand them. --DS25 (talk) 01:08, 20 November 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Important Points When Writing Instructions
Concise and Clear: People can not use what they do not know. Try to use common terminology and usage of that word. Stay away from lengthy sentences that are hard to decipher. If you make your instructions too lengthy it is likely that your reader will give up. Also, try to avoid the use of slang or phrase words. These might mean something different to different people or cultures.
Add Graphical Elements: Pictures speak louder than words. It is effective to have well illustrated or photographed pictures that accompany your written instructions. Pictures add an additional dimension that will allow your reader to visualize the end product. Also, when using graphics you should be mindfall of those visual learners, and adapt the graphics, for the audience base to learn what others are from reading the text.
Although pictures are great, you must be cautious not to include photographs or illustrations that are confusing or not associated with the actual written instructions. If you pair a poor picture with your instructions you might cause the reader stress when trying to decipher what you mean.
To have a powerful pairing, your instruction or image should be able to stand along and represent the step of the instructions.
Design Your Page: Having your text run the whole page and in 10pt font will cause headaches. Make sure to create a design and layout of your instructions page that will allow easy readability and add aesthetic quality. Keeping the page simple, but with a defined hierarchy, will assist the reader in completing the steps of the instructions.
When designing your page, a solid hierarchy is important. The use of bold headings, italics, and roman numerals will aid in the overall visual appearance. An example of hierarchy would be:
HEADING 1 Subheading Body text
Create a Flow: It is important that your instructions be planned out in a logical progression. Make sure to state the problem in the first page. Follow that with each page detailing a specific part of the problem. There should not be confusion over whether the instructions on one page really belong to the problem on another. Technical instructions must follow a logical pattern. It would not be good if you put the finishing touches on before you have all the screws in place. As stated before, there should also be clear graphics where necessary to clarify the verbage. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Test Your Instructions: We all know that instructions are difficult to write and that sometimes it sounds good on paper, but when you actually attempt to put the instructions to use, you might find that your wording makes no sense. Remember what might be common or obvious to you might baffle your readers. Also, test your instructions yourself, or have someone who knows nothing about your product test it. This is also called a usability study. Take notes on what worked, what didn't and then revise. In the long run the more people that look at your instructions the more inclusive the final result will be. --DS25 (talk) 01:11, 20 November 2008 (UTC)
