Instructions and Manuals

This week's reading was about creating effective instruction for products, and also clear and efficient manuals.
This chapter read to me a lot like creating a website as in our last reading, or informational pamphlets. As usual, to start, always keep the audience in mind when making a technical document. Who are they?  What is their goal? What might their age group be? Where will they be reading the document? What is the general demographic of the document, and what might others be? Which languages and images should go into the instructions?
I also wasn't aware that even using a left hand in images can be offensive in some places in the Middle East. It pays to know the culture that an instruction booklet might enter, even the smallest of details.
Of course, anything that can be written simply should be written that way, especially when it comes to the safety section of a manual. The warnings should also stand out amid the instructions. The writer of these documents can be sued if someone is hurt - there is a liability that comes with giving efficient instructions.
Instructions should be numbered, and organized. Steps should not run into each other, or be confusing. I know there have been many times in my life when I've tried to build something using a manual, and I've had left over parts and panicked. No consumer wants to have to rebuild something the've already spent hours building.
While instructions typically are just for the startup of a product, manuals require way more care and concern, as it is for the start, anad a future reference point if there is ever an issue with the product in question.
Important points to remember:

• Know the audience
• Be clear and concise
• Use appropriate images
• Organize information properly