Instructions

I'm going to do my instructions on how to make a great coffee as an employee of Dunkin' Donuts. I have worked there for about 5 years, and consider this one of my greatest (and also really one of my lamest)  accomplishments. There is actually a process beyond what you are trained to do that adds to the flavor. It is all in the tiny details of what you do. It will be interesting to write what comes naturally to me at this point. It might honestly be a challenge, but I'm up for it. It may also be a challenge color coordinating these instructions because Dunkin's mix of orange and purple isn't easy to work with.

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

Designing Documents and Web Sites

The reading today was on the most efficient way to design a document, and also a web site. The advice varies, as it depends on which technical document is being created. Five important pieces of advice for creating both a web site and a document are:

• Know the audience, and know what they want from the document.
• Know the overall goal of the document. Does it achieve the goal?
• Clearly label the document, because the audience most likely does not need every bit of information available in it.
• Keep it as organized and as appealing to the eye as possible.
• Always keep the values of the company and audience in mind.

 The chapter goes into great detail regarding not only keeping information accurate and understandable, but also advice on selecting a typeface for the document. Every factor must be considered in the plan of the design, even the white spaces, which I was not aware of. There is really a science to the creation of a technical document, from the amount of columns on one page to the next. It must take a lot of planning and effort to make the document that best holds the value of an organization and its goals.
It also suggests not compiling a ton of information on one single page, as the audience must be drawn to the document in order to continue paying attention to it. A web site should be clearly labeled and easy to navigate, for any member of the audience. Utilize icons, and other recognizable images to assist the journey through the document, while keeping various cultures in mind.
In my fifth year of college, I can agree to all of the advice. When I have to shuffle through a ton of websites to find certain information, it can get frustrating. I'm naturally going to be drawn toward the website or document that is well put-together. I don't want to have to read a giant block of text if I can help it, and I know others feel the same way.
I also thought it was funny that the book told readers on page 157 not to use shadowed or outlined variations of text, because we "can live a full, rewarding life without ever using them."