Instructions are that little bit of information included at the bottom of the box with some assembly required, or the words in that little book in the glove box of your car that no one ever looks at before they get behind the wheel before they go riding down the road trying to find the switch for the headlights in the dark. Instructions come in many forms and describe processes as simple as building a Lego building to assembling the space station. Instructions are the grossly ignored documents that could potentially save you from a severe headache or even death if they are actually read and observed.
However, many times poor instructions can often be more of a hindrance than a help. For instance, I am sure we can all think of a friend who is terrible at giving directions. They couldn't find their way out of a wet paper bag with a hole in it. You can probably also think of a time where you tried to assemble a product using the hieroglyphic descriptions provided by a company in Taiwan. Needless to say these types of instructions can quickly frustrate the user and lead to a lack of performance.
The author of a set of instructions needs to take great care to ensure that the instructions he writes can be easily understood. A carefully written set of instructions is difficult to find especially for simple tasks. So if your like me, pull out all of the pieces, throw away the directions, and start putting the thing together. You'll either invent something new or figure out how the thing is supposed to be assembled, and when you get stuck take it apart and start over (maybe this time with the directions). Reading the directions may however prevent headaches and personal injury. The choice is up to you!
I think sometimes I understand a product better when I don't look at the directions. Having a hands on approach lets me understand the way in which the product works. However, sometimes I fail miserably if the item is too complex. Maybe directions are good and bad. Good Post.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people who thinks she can do it her own as well. It's really frustrating too, because I'm not even good at building stuff, I'm just convinced it will all work out in the end. The best instructions are those that have the hieroglyphic instructions, because it's kind of fun to try and figure out what's going on there, lol.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is possible that you understand how to do something better without looking at the instructions unless you have done it before. People may feel that they can do something without looking at the instructions because they have experienced something close to the project at hand. Take riding a bike for example(it's easier to prove this point from a little kid perspective, most children have not experienced any kind of bike riding before they start learning. They usually use training wheels or a helping hand to keep balanced. These new learners just don't hop on and start going. They need the directions to get started. Where as an adult starting to ride a bike might have an upper hand when it comes to not needing the directions. They have probably witnessed people riding bikes and know the basic components even if they haven't. This little bit of knowledge will help them start riding, and they might think that they can do it without the directions because of experience, not because they just know how to do it without the directions
ReplyDeleteI always love it when I've had something for a long time, and then look at the instructions and discover it had features I didn't know about. It's made me start using instructions more.
ReplyDeleteI am someone who tries to use instructions as little as possible, until something goes wrong and then I am scrambling to find them. It's funny how many "new" features I learned about when I actually took the time to sit down and read the instructions about the coffee maker that I've had for 2 years.
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