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PRIMARY LEARNING POINTS

This chapter discusses the superstructure of instructions:

• Introduction
• Description of Equipment
• List of Materials and Equipment Needed
• Directions
• Troubleshooting

OVERVIEW

Four Important Points: Readers of instructions are particularly challenging people to write for. Chapter 23 describes the general superstructure for instructions, which will help you successfully address the challenges of instruction writing. While working with this superstructure, keep the following general advice in mind:

• Write clearly and succinctly.
• Use plenty of graphics.
• Design usable and attractive pages and screens.
• Test your instructions.

SUPERSTRUCTURE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

The simplest instructions contain only the directions. More complex instructions contain some or all of the elements of the general superstructure for instructions; still others include such additional elements as covers, title pages, tables of content, appendixes, lists of references, glossaries, lists of symbols, and indexes.

Introduction

The effectiveness of your introduction can depend on your decision about what—if anything—to provide as introductory material. Possible introduction topics include:

• Subject
• Aim (purpose or outcome)
• Intended readers
• Scope
• Organization
• Usage (advice about how to use)
• Conventions
• Safety
• Motivation

Description of the Equipment

Instructions often include a description of the equipment to be used since readers may need to know the location of a piece of equipment's parts and their functions in order to repair it.

List of Materials and Equipment Needed

Some procedures require materials or equipment that readers wouldn't normally have at hand. If yours do, include a list of these items.

Directions

When describing your solution, you must persuade your readers of two things:

• That the solution will successfully address each of the objectives.
• That your proposed solution offers a particularly desirable way of achieving the objectives.

Method

The following strategies will help you write directions that your readers will find easy to understand and use:

• Write each direction for rapid comprehension and immediate use.
• Help your readers locate the next step quickly.
• Within steps, distinguish actions from supporting information.
• Group related steps under action-oriented headings.
• Use many graphics.
• Present branching steps clearly.
• Tell what to do in case of a mistake or unexpected result

Troubleshooting

Tell readers what to do if the equipment fails to work properly or if the results are unsatisfactory.

Physical Construction of Instructions—Adapt your instructions to the environment in which they will be used. For example, cookbooks are often printed on glossy paper to withstand kitchen spills.

Writing Online Instructions—All of the advice in this chapter applies to on-line instructions as well as printed ones. Online instructions are becoming increasingly common since it sometimes costs a lot less money to put up a website with information on it than it is to print instructions and deliver them. For online instructions, supplement the general guidelines with the following:

• Keep each unit of instruction to screen size or smaller.
• Use a consistent design on all instructional screens.
• Let readers see their work areas simultaneously with your instructions.
• Provide a map of table of contents on the home page.
• Provide navigational aids within the instructions.
• Conduct a usability test.

Conclusion

Use Chapter 23's Revision Checklist for Instructions to help you in preparing both online and printed instructions.

REVIEW

1. How do you determine what information to include in the introduction?
2. How necessary are troubleshooting directions to instructions?