Transcript Instruction Sets

Instructions &
Documentation:
Telling People How to Do Stuff Since the Dawn of Print and into the Digital Age
Instructions
Steps of how to complete a
specific task (in a sequential
step by step manner) or
how to assemble a product.
Specifications
Written by engineers and
technicians to describe in
extreme detail how a product
is assembled or how a routine
task is completed.
Protocols
Written to ensure consistency and
quality in workplaces. Often deal with
emergency procedures, ensuring
consistency in laboratory methods, or
how to deal with potential problems in
an office or academic setting.
Basic Genre Features
 Specific and Precise Title
 Introduction with Background Information
 List of Materials, parts, tools, needed
 Sequentially Ordered Steps
 Graphics/Screenshots
 Safety Information (may or may not be needed)
 Conclusion that Signifies Completion of Task
Introduction
 Introduction expectations are located on page 181-182 of your
textbook.
 Purpose
 Importance of Task
 Ability Needed
 Experience Needed
 Time Requirement
 Motivation
Use Command Voice
 Put action up front; sentences
usually begin with verbs
1. Choose a username and password.
2. Click the “Submit” button
3. Open the folder named “Files”
Only One Action Per Number
1. Click on the link to the FTP application. Your computer’s file
browser will open. Navigate to the file you want to upload and
select “Open.”
1. Click on the link to the FTP application. Your computer’s file
browser will open.
2. Navigate to the file you want to upload.
3. Select “Open” to begin the upload.
No Number if There is No
Action
1. Enter the random letters (known as a CAPTCHA) to prove
you’re a human being.
2. CAPTCHAs are used to protect the site from adbots and
spambots signing up. They also stop bots from automatically
downloading from a site. This, in some cases, may prove to be
a security risk; in other cases, it’s merely an annoying drain on
bandwith.
3. Next Step . . .
Keep Steps Short & Concise
(visually offset explanations)
1. Enter the random letters (known as a CAPTCHA) to prove
you’re a human being.
CAPTCHAs are used to protect the site from adbots and spambots
signing up. They also stop bots from automatically downloading
from a site. This, in some cases, may prove to be a security risk; in
other cases, it’s merely an annoying drain on bandwith.
2. Next Step . . .
Use Precise Headings
Poor
Better
Register Usage
Linking with Registers
Administrating
Authorization
Authorizing Access to
Data
The Dial-Up Function
Dialing Up the Computer
Session Initialization
Initializing a Session
Using Define Font
Window
Defining a Font
Understanding Hardware
Requirements
Hardware Requirements
Renumber with New Sections
How to Sign-Up
1.
2.
3.
4.
How to Set Up Profile
5.
6.
7.
How to Sign-Up
1.
2.
3.
4.
How to Set Up Profile
1.
2.
3.
Write to a Person
 Poor
 The system should not be shut down during processing. If such a
shutdown occurs, the system should be restarted with the START
RECOVER command.
 Better
 If you shut down the system during processing, you might lose
data. Use the START RECOVER command to restart the system and
recover any data from the log.
Conditional Statements Up
Front
 Poor
 Register your computer as a client if you are not yet registered on the LAN.
 In the Number field, specify your12-digit serial number if your product is not
yet registered.
 Better
 If you are not registered on the LAN, register your computer a s a client.
 If your software is not yet registered, in the NUMBER field, specify your 12-digit
serial number.
 This is the only time your steps will not begin with an action verb
Make Reasoning for Each
Step Clear
 Poor
 Press the “Sync” button on the back of the Wii Remote and hold it
down for at least 3 seconds.
 Better
 Hold the “Sync” button on the back of the Wii remote for at least 3
seconds. This long press will alert the hardware that you are trying
to add a new remote for play.
 But Don’t Go Overboard
 Navigate to Nintendo.com because that’s the URL where
Nintendo’s site is located.
Provide Skippable Pathways
Poor Example
1. Select one of the choices
 If you are a new user, click Register.
 If you registered before, click I Have an Account.
2. Complete the fields on the form
 If you are a new user, the form requires a credit card number.
 If you are a returning user, specify your password
Provide Skippable Pathways
Better Example
1. If you are a new user, set up an account:
1. Click Register.
2. Specify your credit card number and a name and password for
your account
2. Click, I Have an Account
1.
Enter Your Password
Screenshots
 Help orient a reader to make sure they’re on the
right screen (especially after performing an action
that takes you to an entirely new looking screen)
 Point out relevant areas of the screen that might be
hidden, poorly placed, or are of high importance
 Show an icon or button that is difficult to describe
because of appearance or placement
 Pics should be labeled as “Figures” with numbers
(Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) and be referred to in the
instructions steps or notes
Final Considerations
 Anticipate confusion or oddities
 Show alternate ways of accomplishing the same
task if they exist
 Updating a Facebook status can be done from the
feed or from the timeline
 Style and Layout are of fundamental importance to
an instruction set’s use value. That’s why your project
is relatively simple: I will be looking for dynamic and
usable layout.