Unit 2 - Discussion Board Project

Week 2 Discussion

Lionel Sharpe

Professor Marie Giammarco

Sanford Brown College Online

When I write a manual I feel they are best organized by the manual, mapping all the instructions on the product or software that is being presented to the consumer or reader. The instructions in the manual should show step by step procedures to follow, and also show the functions lie what the product is, what the product is for, how to use it, and not marketing anything to the reader. The manual should also give an understanding to the reader about the product or item. I also consider the handicapped users, the users with bad vision, and provide a manual that they can read understand or hear. For a great first impression, I would make a manual with lots of white space. You don’t want the user to toss the manual aside because of the long worded paragraphs that are used sometimes in other manuals. There are other things that I would implement and they are as follows.

I would use quality paper that goes along with the manual that I am providing the user. Using white paper, sometimes makes people toss the manual because it looks unimportant and of some type of receipt. This will stop them from wanting to read the manual.

Using pictures and diagrams that will be effective on the reader, is a good option also, this will keep them interested in learning what the product is about and how to use it even more.

Using one language, so that they will not get mixed up with the flip side that has the other languages present. This will mix the reader up and make them toss the manual also, because they are already mad about not knowing how to use the product, and in turn you give them a two sided manual one in English and one in Japanese.

Using font like sans serif, that is readable and used in most manuals is great for the reader and the test of the manual. Most manuals font size would be 8 to 12 point font and I normal English text. I would also use colors to highlight terms but not blue because blue isn’t a good color to use, and this is stated by professional who write thousands of them. The best font color to use would be black.

The next thing I would do is keep all the information organized in hierarchical order. This would have tabs, and good colors to keep everything organized, but not any bright colors this will hurt some readers eyes. Next, I would use chronological order like numbered information, and also information with bullets like I am using now. The chronological order for using the product would be simple and very easy to read, and also very effective. This means that the product will work the exact way that the manual is explain the steps for it to work. The use of a section with troubleshooting problems should also be implemented into the manual, in case the user comes across any normal problems that normally occur with the product, this will allow them to fix them accordingly.

Furthermore, what I would do is, I would have a quick start guide and this would be on a website also with the same instructions and implemented with step by step videos for the exact product and others that a consumer may buy, along with numbers to call for extra help. I would not use cross referencing this would make the information show untrue, and the reader would probably not want the product anymore, if they have to go to another company about the product that sells the same product by in a different way. Other design options would be to use visual stepping stones, timing, and sequence. I would also use words that are used in everyday English, making sure the product matches the instructions.

The last things that I would do are to use symbols, and any types of codes that are needed and place them in proper order so that the user can understand. Again, the use of whitespace is very important between the images, paragraphs, and different sections. The pages should have a clear layout, and the manual should be able to be placed flat on a surface to make reading it easy and comfortable. I would take consideration to the environment that the manual is used in, and also the cover and pages that are needed, because a bad manual that doesn’t fit the environment can cause a lot of problems especially an auto shop, their hands get dirty with oil, so you would need a manual with very silky paper like a magazine, to keep dirt off of it. Things that I would do differently for a training manual verses online help would be making a PDF or online website manual like an online quick sat guide that can be found on the manufacturer website. This would have videos and instructions also, that could be downloaded, watched on YouTube or sent straight to your iPhone or android tablets to read. This would also come in audio, with step by step instructions. This would be a great way to go verses writing a manual in text, besides most manuals come in pdf in case you lose the manual that comes in the product casing or boxing.

Works Cited

"Http://myukk.org/SM1048.html." Sensors and Materials (2015). Web.

Created on March 27, 2016 by Lionel Sharpe (student) Professor Marie Giammarco on Mar 27, 2016 02:05 PM